Reclaiming Life
by Crystallord
Summary: When Kagome, a vampire killer in training, thought that the new student Inu-Yasha was a vampire, she didn’t think his secrets would be linked to her past. She didn’t think he’d be linked to her future either, at least until they fell in love. IY/K
1. A Legend to Avenge

Disclaimer: Inu-Yasha and all its characters totally belong to me, and anyone found writing stories about them (except me) will be heavily sued and in debt for the rest of their miserable lives…in my dreams. :-P Of course it belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and whoever's involved with it…they know who they are…

            AN: Yay, back with another story! As I've said in the last chapter of A Royal Pain, Mermaid's Tale is on hold because I haven't yet figured out how to get myself out of the mess. I've been working on this story and another for awhile. I've decided to make a resolution! ^_^ No long periods without updating, the longest time a week, except for death, exams (which are coming up), anything school-related, long vacations and computer/internet failure. Although that's like 90% of the time. Anyway, this story is about vampires. And it doesn't have anything to do with Buffy, I swear. And as usual, just before I decided to post this, I go around surfing for fics and find tons about vampires. Damn! Maybe I'm not original enough. L Enough blabbering. I'll update in 2-4 days and try to keep it up. Enjoy the fic!

A Legend To Avenge 

            It was well into the night when Kaede felt it happen. Her eyes snapped open and her heart beat faster. She lay on her bed for minutes, staring at the darkness. Finally she stood up and crept out of the house, as not to wake her family.  

            Long minutes passed; she was still standing outside in the cold Tokyo air. Kaede rubbed her palms together and blew into her hands. The chilly wind blew threw her thin nightgown and swept her long black hair away from her neck. Then she looked up and saw a blurry figure rushing towards her in the night. 

            Kaede wasn't afraid—she knew only one person who was that small and round who could jump great distances at great speed. The blurry figure formed into a person, and Myouga skidded to a stop in front of her. 

            She looked down at him, her expression flat. "It's happened," she said dully. "They got her, didn't they?" 

            Myouga, her sister's 'partner-in-crime', harrumphed and tried to look for something to say. 

            "I knew it." Kaede shook her head. "You should have let me train, then she wouldn't have to deal with all of them herself." 

            "You know how hard it is to kill vampires, Kaede. They were the top ones, the ones living in the hidden castle. Even if I had let you train, your sister would have refused. Kikyo said—" he looked uncomfortable "—she said at least if she didn't make it, then you would still live."

            A tear slid down her cheek. Her sister was truly gone, killed by the vampires she'd been hunting for almost all her life. She'd never believed it would happen—it was well known that young as she was, Kikyo had been one of the greatest vampire killers in all time. "At least did you guys get the vampires?" she asked, half-knowing the answer. 

            The small man expelled a huge puff of air. "They were so strong, stronger than I remembered," he said, shaking his head. "After Kikyo—after they took her down, there was no hope. We had to flee." 

            Silence greeted his words. Then Kaede clenched her fists. "I can't let them get away with this. You have to let me train, Myouga! I have to get them for this!" 

            "There is no way. You would never reach a high enough level to defeat the Inu-kai clan. You must train young." Again, Myouga looked fidgety. "Perhaps we should have trained you. But as I say, Kikyo would have never let that happen." 

            "But then how to we get them? Kikyo was the greatest. Who could we possibly find that would surpass her?" 

            "It might take a long while," Myouga said. "But we'll find someone, Kaede. We won't let them get away with it. We'll kill them, no matter how long it takes." 

*          *          *

            Well, in Kaede's opinion, she wasn't so sure how much longer it could take. Already in her seventies, she'd spent the last fifty years of her life searching for the 'right' person. Everyone she'd looked at turned out to have some flaw. Every person that left made her angrier—how many more victims had the vampires killed? How much more time would they waste? When would Kikyo's death be avenged?

            It was a rainy Tokyo afternoon. She was hobbling her way home, a black umbrella over her head. Passing an alleyway, she heard, through the splashing of rain and the impatient walk of people urgent to get home, the sound of someone sobbing.

            Alleyways were no place for an old woman, but they weren't a place for someone to cry, either. Myouga told her of low-class vampires who lurked in alleys. Muttering to herself, Kaede squeezed herself into the tight place. She shivered at the walls of slime. The sobbing grew louder, and finally after a corner she saw a young girl crouched against the wall.

            Kaede sighed and approached the girl cautiously. Myouga had also told her of vampire children who loved hunting their unknowing prey this way. "Child, what's the matter?" she asked, still keeping a safe distance. 

            The girl looked up. Kaede gasped and drew back, her heart pounding. It was like looking into the face of a young Kikyo, but without the passive wisdom her sister held in her eyes. But she could see Kikyo's features, and the glimmer in her eyes showed something, but Kaede couldn't place it. How could she not have seen this girl before, this exact replica of Kikyo?

            The girl placed a hand on the collar of her elementary school uniform and drew it downward. Kaede's jaw dropped even further. There, on her neck, were two fresh bite marks of a vampire. She was still bleeding, and the trickles of blood mingled with the rain. "I was walking home from school," she said in a trembling voice. "A man with long black hair stopped me. He bit me on my neck. It hurts." Another sob escaped from her throat. "And my brother's gone. The man took him. He's only three. Mommy's gonna be so mad." 

            She ran into Kaede's arms. Startled, Kaede drew the girl against her. As she held the small child in her arms, something rushed through her. Maybe, just maybe, after fifty years, this could be the girl. Of course, Myouga would have to look at her first, see if she could truly be the person they were looking for. 

            "Come with me," she said, standing up and taking the girl's hand in hers. "I'll clean you up then take you home. But first, I want to talk to you about something."

*          *          *

            "What's your name?" 

            "Kagome Higurashi," the girl said solemnly. "Will you help me find my brother?" Her voice trembled at the mention of her brother. 

            Kaede and Myouga glanced at each other. They were sitting beside each other in Myouga's training dojo. It wasn't a normal dojo—the weapons storage room had stakes instead of swords. "We have to know about the man who bit you," Kaede said. "Tell us about him."

            The girl paused. "He was tall. He had long, kinda curly black hair, and he dressed really fancy. That's all I know." Her hand went up to her neck, where Kaede had bandaged the bite marks earlier. 

            Myouga nudged Kaede's elbow. "How is she standing?" he muttered in a low voice. "She was just bitten by a vampire, and by the looks of her complexion, bitten severely. She should either be dead or a vampire." 

            Kaede was nodding. "Could she be fighting it somehow? Perhaps, finally, our time to wait has ended?" 

            "Wait, there is a way to find out." Myouga reached over to the girl. "Excuse me, Kagome-chan, mind if I see your neck?" The girl tilted her head obediently. Myouga touched her wound with a finger and dabbed at some of her blood. Then he stuck his finger in his mouth. 

            Kaede made a face, but it changed to a startled look when Myouga reeled back as if he'd been stung. Already he was sweating, and his breathing became ragged. "The vampire that bit her was strong," he rasped out. "Anyone bitten by this vampire would be dead before you arrived. And yet I can also taste her power…she must have made a good meal for the vampire." Kaede made another face. "And yet I can't imagine all our hopes lying on one little girl."

            "Doesn't she look the spitting image of Kikyo? You know that's how Kikyo looked when she was a girl. And she has survived a deep vampire bite. And you said she had power." Kaede threw her hands up impatiently. "If that isn't a big enough hint from the stars for you, Myouga, then I don't know what is. What do you need, a big sign saying 'This is the One'?"

            Myouga nodded thoughtfully, ignoring the barb. Then he faced the girl (he was so short he barely had to look down—and she was sitting) and made her look at him. Her wide, trusting eyes met his. 

            "Kagome-chan, you must listen to what I say and not tell anyone," he said gravely. "We can help you get your brother, and the man who did this to you. But it won't be easy, because these people are evil. They are so evil, if you are not strong enough they will kill you. You and your brother. To defeat them, it will take many years." He paused, then turned to Kaede. "To ask a little girl to help us kill vampires is almost cruel. She doesn't know what we're asking of her." 

            "Wait," Kagome interrupting, startling both adults. The face that greeted them was one of a serious woman, not a little child. "I want my brother back. My mom's gonna be sad. And I want to find the guy who did this to me. It's important." 

            Kaede shrugged. "It is her decision, Myouga. It's not exactly a blood contract." 

            "Fine. Kagome-chan, a friend of ours was killed by vampires. Yes, that is what took your brother. We want to train you to help defeat vampires, for you, for your brother, and for Kikyo." Myouga placed his small hands on Kagome's equally small shoulders. "If you help us, we will help you. Will you help?" 

            There was only a hesitant pause. Then, with a face full of determination, the little girl gave a brisk nod. 

*          *          *

            It had been six years since the vampires took Souta. Kagome Higurashi already knew it was the sixth anniversary of his death before she heard her mother sobbing in her room or smelled the incense her grandfather laid out. 

She lay in bed a few minutes after she woke up, feeling too heavy to stand up. She could clearly remember the day Myouga and Kaede took her home. They told her mom Souta had been kidnapped, and Kagome would have been hurt or worse had they not come across her in time. Her mother and grandfather had accepted the story. Aside from anger, Kagome had never outwardly shown any sadness towards Souta's death (if he'd even died, they weren't sure.) She needed all her energy on her vampire killing studies.

The past years of training had been rough on her body and mind, but she'd broken through it knowing that she would avenge her brother. She felt almost ready—Myouga had given her high praise the day before, saying her skills had nearly surpassed Kikyo's.

But first she had to go to school. 

During breakfast she tried to act normal without being extra-chirpy. But when she saw her mother's red-rimmed eyes spilling tears over the table, she just had to speak. 

            "Ma, don't be sad. You know I'm going to kill the ones who took Souta. I've been training all this time. I'll kill them, and more, too." She knew she meant killing the vampires, but her mother thought she was talking about the criminals. Her words didn't seem to have an affect on her mother, who let out a sob before hurrying to the comfort of the kitchen. 

            Her grandfather peered at her over his cup of tea. "Kagome, you know you shouldn't sound bloodthirsty around your mother. And me, too. You're a sixteen-year old talking about killing people. Why don't you take up a hobby?" 

            "But Sensei says—" she stopped herself in time. No matter what she said to her eccentric grandfather, it would always end with a sigh and, "Leave the punishment to the gods, Kagome dear, and take this lucky charm with you so that they won't get you too."

            Kagome got up and smoothed down the skirt of her school uniform. "Okay then. Just make sure she doesn't collapse into a depression. Don't mention Souta in the past tense, but don't ignore the fact that this is his death anniversary. And for god's sakes, don't write any more 'Remember Souta, the Ill-Fated Brave Boy' songs! They made even Buyo cry." 

            "What am I, stupid?" her grandfather muttered under his breath. "After six years, I think I know what makes her mad and what doesn't." 

            His granddaughter stuck her tongue out. "Sure." With a wave goodbye, she left the house. She had to wait for her best friend, Miroku, at the end of the block. Leaning against a lamp post, she began tapping her toes impatiently. A few minutes passed. 

            "Kagome!" She turned at the sound of her name. Miroku was running as fast as he could towards her, a middle-aged woman running after him screaming, "I'll teach you to try and mess with my daughter, you no-good son of a—" 

            "Bitch," he muttered when he was close to Kagome. "What are you standing there for? Run!" He grabbed her wrist and pulled her down the road.

            If she hadn't trained for the past few years, she probably couldn't have kept up with the frantic speed Miroku was going at. Now she could run side by side with him and talk at the same time. "Miroku! Who was that woman? Have your standards really gone that low?" It was no secret that Miroku liked chasing after young women. Young women who always rejected him, sadly. 

            He snorted. "That's my landlady. Her daughter's absolutely gorgeous. I just said my AC was broken and asked if I could spend the night in her room." He saw Kagome's wary gaze. "The daughter, not the landlady. Ick, you're gross, Kagome." 

            "Well no wonder she's mad at you," Kagome rolled her eyes, "And if you find yourself homeless again don't expect to come to my place. My mother's still edgy with you ever since you tried to grope me while watching TV." Miroku lived alone, and had probably lived in every single apartment and youth hostel in Tokyo. He kept getting kicked out for various reasons, all related to women.

            "Oh, don't tell me you didn't like it." Kagome felt an all-too familiar hand on her rear (even while they were running! Miroku must have practiced a lot.) Though they were best friends, Miroku still classified Kagome as a young and pretty girl and therefore eligible for his groping. Growling, she stuck out her foot and tripped him. Instead of falling with him, she stuck her arm out and flipped over, landing neatly on her feet.

            He went sprawling on the concrete. Face full of gravel, he turned to look at her in awe. "Hey, you've gotten better!" Bits of gravel flew out of his mouth as he spoke. "How's the training going?" Although Myouga had sworn her to secrecy, she couldn't help telling Miroku when she was thirteen. They were after all best friends.

            Kagome grinned. Unlike her family, Miroku actually liked to hear about her vampire slaying training. He was the only person from school who knew. "Myouga says I'm close to the level Kikyo was when she was my age," she said with a thin trace of pride. 

            Miroku's eyes widened. "Kikyo? That's some pretty high praise!" Both of them knew that Kagome was in a way trying to take Kikyo's place, and they knew she was one of the greatest, if not the greatest, vampire killer in the world. Miroku once mentioned that Kagome even looked something like Kikyo, but she didn't believe him until Kaede brought out some old photographs and actually seen the resemblance.

            "So? Are you ready to go out and kick some vampire butt?" Miroku asked her, getting up.

            They continued walking to school. Kagome sighed. "Well, six years have passed. I think I should start looking for the ones that killed Souta. Myouga wants me to start finding an entrance to the hidden castle where the Inu-kai are. But the ones who took Souta, I'll get on my own." Her face was fixed with determination.

            Miroku slung an arm around her shoulder. "You know, when you get that weird fire glowing in your eyes people think 'Crazy woman! Crazy woman!'" 

            "Very funny." But Kagome smiled nevertheless. 

            In school, after they sat in their seats, the homeroom teacher rapped his ruler on the blackboard. "Class, if you'll all sit down and shut up…" His left eye, which always twitched, glared at his students. "…I can introduce a new student." 

            Even before he said that, all eyes were fixed towards the figure leaning against the doorway. All eyes except Kagome's and Miroku's. Kagome was busy dodging Miroku's very sharp pencil, which he insisted he try to stab her hand with to improve her reflexes. "You just want to hurt me!" she hissed, narrowly yanking her hand out of the way as the point of his pencil crashed down on the desk. "Sadistic little man…"

            "Higurashi!" The sharp voice of the teacher made her look up. Miroku knew better than to stab her when she wasn't looking—she _was a slayer-in-training. "Pay attention! Class, this is Inu-Yasha."_

            Someone snorted at the name, but was quickly silenced. It wasn't hard to see why, Kagome thought as she looked at the new student. He screamed 'rebel' all over. His hair was long and black, and his golden eyes flicked uninterestedly around the room. Already a few girls were adding him to their crush list. 

            His eyes met Kagome's, and they widened. Kagome drew back, confused. He looked as if he were seeing someone he'd met before, but Kagome had never seen him before. Then his eyes narrowed into a glare of utter loathing. Kagome gulped and settled back in her seat. _What did I do?_

            "Hey, Kagome," Miroku whispered from beside her. "Maybe he's got a thing for you. You _are a hot chick, after all." _

            "Nu-uh, I don't think it's that," Kagome whispered back. 

            "Huh? You don't think you're a hot chick?"

            "No, I mean yes, no wait! I mean…" Kagome fell silent. She hated it when Miroku did this to her. She heard his snicker and kicked his shin discreetly under the desks. 

            Without waiting for the teacher to assign him to a place, Inu-Yasha made his way towards the middle of the room, closer to Kagome. He sat down at the desk on the other side of Kagome (_which is taken__, she thought huffily) and sent a glare at her, as if daring her to object. _

            _Not good. _Kagome stood up. "Sensei, that's Aiko-san's desk. She has a doctor's appointment today. There's a place at the back for him." 

            Inu-Yasha smirked. "I can't see the blackboard from that far. I need to be closer so I can see it. Here's fine." 

            _Yeah right, you probably have perfect vision, you stinking liar_, Kagome thought bitingly. The teacher shrugged and continued reading the bulletin as if nothing had happened. Kagome sat down hard in her seat and scowled. 

            Normally she got along with new students. But he was different. Why was he acting so weirdly? 

            An almost unbelievable thought crossed her mind. Kagome jerked up as she remembered something her Myouga had told her: if a vampire killer was strong, but not strong enough to mask their scent, a vampire could sniff them out from normal humans. Maybe Inu-Yasha could sniff her out from the normal students in the classroom. Why else would he be acting so hostile? She couldn't have made a wrong impression—she didn't even make one. Kagome's gaze slid towards Inu-Yasha, who noticed her staring and raised his eyebrows. What kind of human had golden eyes, anyway?

            Could it be, just a far off notion, that Inu-Yasha was a vampire? 


	2. Conflicts and Tests

AN: My god, I can't think of anything to say. That must be a relief for you guys. ^_^ Anyway enjoy the next chapter. 

Conflicts and Tests

"Okay, Kagome, at first I thought it was only a crush, but now you're just freaking me out," Miroku said during lunch. His lunch group, though small, was quite interesting. Across him as always was Kagome, who was glaring witheringly at the person beside him. That person, Inu-Yasha, was sending equally deadly glares at Kagome while stuffing cafeteria mystery meat in his mouth at the same time. 

            "What's he doing here?" Kagome asked tightly. "I kind of pegged him as a brooding loner." _And a bloodsucker, _she added in her mind. _A vampire._ Like the one who killed my brother. Like the one who killed Kikyo. __

            Miroku shrugged. "I invited him over because you kept staring at him throughout the day, and I figured I'd give you a push in the right direction. How long as it been since you were dateless?" He jabbed his fork at Inu-Yasha. "And you could be nicer."

            "Me?" Inu-Yasha raised an eyebrow. "She's the one who's got issues with me. She looks like she wants to skewer me."

            _Heh heh.__ You have no idea. _Kagome was positive that her huge wicked grin with all her teeth bared would not betray her feelings. Inu-Yasha thought differently. 

Kagome switched her expression of maniacal pleasure to an injured one. She crossed her arms. "That's not true. What's with the evil glare you gave me this morning?" 

            Inu-Yasha's face darkened. Then he sniffed and looked away. "'Coz you were staring at me like some freak." He ignored Kagome's indignant squawk and turned to Miroku. "Not very popular with the guys, is she?" 

            "Actually, almost every guy here—except me—has probably dreamt of her some nights, but her attitude scares them away." Miroku smiled slyly. "It's like she drives a stake through their hearts." 

            "Miroku! When you get out of that chair you are so screwed…"

            "Are you always this violent?" Inu-Yasha flicked his eyes back to Kagome.

            Kagome felt her face growing red with anger. "If you don't like it, then leave!" she snarled angrily. She had to keep her hands under the table in case she felt the urge to punch him. 

            Inu-Yasha sneered at her. "No way! Miroku's a pretty cool guy. Aside from the fact that he hangs around with you."

            "I admire anyone who can swallow mystery meat and survive," Miroku added. "Seems like you're stuck with him a bit longer, Kagome. Inu-Yasha and I are becoming pals." He caught Inu-Yasha's eye and grinned. Inu-Yasha grinned back. 

            His best friend shot up, disgust written all over her face. "Ugh. Get a room!" she stalked off, leaving her lunch behind. It consisted of untouched mystery meat.

            Both men eyed it. "You take it," Miroku said. "The last time I did I had to get my stomach pumped." 

            "What's wrong with her?" Inu-Yasha's gaze lingered in the direction Kagome left, then went back to the mystery meat. "She's so weird." 

            A soda can and a lunch tray flew out of nowhere and crashed into his head, one after the other. Inu-Yasha growled and stood up, a big bump throbbing on his head. "That little…!" 

            Miroku grabbed his shirt and pulled him back down. "Bitch that she is, Inu-Yasha, you don't want to mess with her. Not while she's angry." Inu-Yasha just snarled and bared his teeth slightly. Miroku noticed that his canines were small fangs, short but fangs nevertheless, overlapping his bottom teeth. 

            He frowned. Could it be Kagome saw something that he'd missed? _Well, he isn't exactly normal, _he mused as Inu-Yasha cursed Kagome for eternity and a day in between gulps of mystery meat. _I mean, what kind of normal person eats mystery meat? _

*          *          *

            Kagome was all set to prove that Inu-Yasha was a vampire. She'd made a list of all the things she could prove. Never mind the fact that he didn't exactly explode in sunlight, Kaede said there were weird vampires in every bunch. He could a) burn his flesh when he touched silver b) walk past a mirror and have no reflection or c) spontaneously combust when he came in contact with garlic or d) that was all she could think of at the moment. 

            Just before gym class, Kagome showed Miroku her list, cackling evilly as he read it. She had a couple of defending arguments in case Miroku wasn't convinced and tried to talk her out of it, but surprisingly he agreed. 

            "He has _fangs,_" Miroku said dramatically as the class milled around, dressed in gym outfits and waiting for the PE teacher. Inu-Yasha was still in the locker rooms. "And he ate mystery meat. Everyone knows mystery meat's as raw as chewing into a live cow." 

            Kagome made a face. "Miroku, you could make foie gras sound gross."

            "It _is_ gross!" he said. "It's the exploded guts of a fat goose…"

            "Okay, class is starting!" the gym teacher yelled, bursting out of his office. "We're starting off with basketball. Everyone grab a ball and start doing set shots!" 

            "Yay, basketball!" Kagome flashed a grin. She placed a hand at her neck, where several silver necklaces were wrapped around her throat, including Miroku's heavy silver chain band that he lent her ("Don't get it all sweaty, or you're gonna buy me a new one."). "I'm all set for Plan A." 

            Finally Inu-Yasha lumbered out, looking distastefully at his gym uniform. "This sucks," he muttered as he approached the two of them. "Where I used to go we didn't have to do gym." 

            Kagome dribbled a ball and began weaving it between her legs. "Yeah, well where we come from we aren't lazy rebel slobs. One on one?" 

            Inu-Yasha gave her a once over, then snorted. "You'll bite the dust." 

            "We'll see who bites who," she grinned knowingly, shooting past him towards the basket. 

            Miroku's mature comment: "Ooh, Kagome, you pussycat you…"

            While everyone else was doing set shots, Inu-Yasha and Kagome played a rough game of one on one. In the end, Inu-Yasha won. It was really no contest, although Kagome put up a good fight. But now that they'd both exercised, Kagome actually had a reason for her 'rash excuse'. 

            She began scratching at her neck irritably. "Damn, my rashes started again," she complained within ear shot of Miroku. "Hey, Inu-Yasha, can you see if I've got rashes on my neck?" She tilted her head and continued scratching at the silver necklaces.

            "Ewwww. Do I have to?" 

            Miroku approached them. "Checking out Kagome's unsightly skin disorders is a sort of initiation for new students, Inu-Yasha. It separates the men from the boys." He tossed in a grin of complete innocence. 

            Inu-Yasha looked extremely doubtful, but then Kagome began clucking and making chicken noises. Finally he went up to Kagome and moved her hair out of the way, forcing her head down. Kagome waited for the howl of pain and the smell of burnt flesh, but all she heard was the clink of silver as he put his fingers on her neck. "No rash," he said, rearranged the silver back into its place. "And thank god."

            Kagome was too stunned to say anything. He didn't react to the silver. Plan A seriously crashed and burned. 

            Well, there were three more to go, two if you excluded Plan D. 

*          *          *

            Twitchy Eye Homeroom Teacher glared around the room. "I hope all of you have been treating Inu-Yasha nicely." The look on his face was as if he would strangle anyone who hadn't been treating Inu-Yasha nicely. Everyone looked in Inu-Yasha's direction. His face was tilted away from the sun, muttering that the sunlight shone directly into his eyes. 

            "Inu-Yasha!" the teacher's bark made him glance up. "Have you found your way around school yet?" 

            He shrugged indifferently. "Just the main building. And the PE gym." 

            "Do you need help finding your way around the rest of the school? The varsity gym?" Inu-Yasha didn't seem to care. Somehow the teacher mistook his unconcern for extreme eagerness and nodded, pleased. "We all work together here, boy. I'll ask a student to show you around during this period. We're only delving into the finer points of cultural anthropology and the beginning of civilization, anyway." 

            Almost every hand shot up after this remark A silky, innocent voice broke through their pleading and begging and bribing—"I'll do it."

            All eyes fell on Kagome. One hand was lifted calmly into the air, and a slight smile was on her face. "I know the gyms pretty well. I'm on the track team, so I go there a lot." 

            Miroku wondered if he'd ever see Inu-Yasha alive again. 

            "Fine. Higurashi, you and Inu-Yasha go now. Just the gym building," he warned them as they exited. "Don't try anything funny." 

            Kagome grinned slyly. Everyone giggled, thinking it meant something romantic. But Miroku smacked a hand against his forehead. "Great. In about thirty minutes I'll saying to anyone who cares 'Hi, my best friend murdered the new student. What happened to _you today?'" _

*          *          *

"There are two gyms. One is used by the normal classes, the one we just used. The other is used for varsity and competition," Kagome said. "Although it's not strictly divided, so a class can use the varsity one and vice versa. We also have a field for outdoor sports." Inu-Yasha looked bored out of his mind, not even bothering to look up at the several trophies their school had won, which lined the corridors. 

            Kagome stopped at a large door. "This is the door to the coachs' offices," she said. "Do you play any sports? Or are you too cool for school?" 

            "Feh." Inu-Yasha finally looked up and saw the trophies, gleaming in their cases. "Soccer," he muttered. 

            "Soccer. That's our worst sport. Coach needs people like you." Kagome opened the door and shoved Inu-Yasha in. "Just say you're new and you want to try out for varsity!" she shouted, shutting the door behind him. 

            "You—" the door slammed shut before Inu-Yasha could finish. Kagome chuckled wickedly and sprinted down the hallway, where the PE locker rooms were. On each door were signs saying, very clearly and in big letters, Male and Female. They kept getting bigger because Miroku kept insisting he couldn't read the signs and always mistook one for the other.  

            She removed the signs from their hooks. The hooks were tightly curled, and she had to work at the metal to slip the signs out. When both were out, she switched signs, putting the Male sign on the female locker room and vice versa. 

            _I'm so evil, _Kagome sighed happily. 

            It wasn't long before the coach's door burst open, and Inu-Yasha emerged with the soccer coach patting him eagerly on the back. "I can't believe you're that star player from Meian High School!" he was saying. "This is definitely going to turn things around for us." They walked down the hall and Kagome waited patiently for them. 

            Inu-Yasha was holding a soccer uniform and cleats. "Put those on!" the coach said. "You said you had the whole period free? That's great! I wanna see what you can do! I'll wait at the field." Giving Inu-Yasha a slap on the back, he jogged off down the hall, giving Kagome a wave and shouting, "Hey! Good job at the inter-school championship!" 

            "Here are the locker rooms," Kagome said, gesturing at the 'male' door. "You can get changed there. I'll wait here and show you to the field."

            There must have been something on her face, because Inu-Yasha glared at her suspiciously. She couldn't stand having eye contact with a vampire for long, so she turned her head away. Inu-Yasha considered it a victory and went through the door. 

            At the first screams, Kagome burst through the door. Several girls were grabbing towels and articles of clothing and either covering themselves with it or sprinting off to the shower area. From the full length mirror, which Kagome had a good view of, Inu-Yasha didn't know what had hit him—

            Wait. The full length mirror? Kagome rubbed her eyes and glanced at the mirror again. What she saw was a very ticked-off Inu-Yasha reflection glaring at her. A hand grabbed her shoulder and whirled her around, and she was face to face with him. "Y-you…" he sputtered, his face beet red. He looked absolutely furious—not to mention totally embarrassed. "_You are _so_…"_

            Kagome was contemplating whether to duck and run for the toilets or to plead for her survival when a life-saving hairbrush thrown by a towel-clad girl whizzed through the air and conked Inu-Yasha's head. While his eyes spun in dazed spirals, Kagome saw her chance and bolted. She left Inu-Yasha to the mercy of half-naked angry girls and sprinted back towards the classroom, wondering what she'd gotten herself into. 

*          *          *

            She was tapping her toe impatiently by the school's entrance and checked her watch for the hundredth time. Miroku was half an hour late. Of course, he'd probably had detention and forgotten to tell her, which was normal, but she was feeling irritated at the day's events. Kagome huffed and began walking briskly. If that was the case, then he could walk home by himself. 

            A few blocks away from school she heard someone calling her name. She turned around and saw Miroku sprinting towards her. "Geez, can't you wait?" he puffed, stopping when he reached her and catching his breath. "I was almost done."

            "I've been waiting for half an hour," Kagome said icily. "Hurry up, I wanna go home. Why'd you get detention today, of all days?" 

            "You know, that's an interesting question," Miroku said lightly. His sideward glance towards his best friend told Kagome that she was going to be squirming for the next few minutes. "I realized I'd forgotten my gym bag in the locker room, so I decided to go get it. As much as I was tempted to take a peek into the female locker room, I fought that urge because I wanted to turn a new leaf and become a truly good man."

            Kagome, who'd been nodding absently throughout his whole story, suddenly stopped nodding and raised a suspicious eyebrow. Something didn't seem to flow right… "No really, Miroku, why didn't you peek in the girl's locker room?" 

            "Okay, mainly because the principal threatened to suspend me—or worse, make me clean his bathroom." Miroku shuddered. "So I entered the guys' locker room. Or so I thought."

            It took awhile for his words to click in Kagome's brain. Then she realized that in her hurry to leave, she'd forgotten to switch the signs back. _Whoops…_

            "I did not know guys wore bras," Miroku continued, pretending that he didn't notice her sudden discomfort. "I didn't know they screamed, 'Eeww, it's that pervert Miroku again!' in voices so high not even castrated could they manage it. I didn't know they used hair dryers—one of which was hurled into my eye, thank you very much. I did not know—"

            Kagome shot her hand out, grabbed Miroku's shoulder, and gripped him very, very hard. "Okay, I've got your point! I've got it!" She sighed and shook her head, her grip on his now-cracking shoulder not lessening. "How do you know it's me anyway?" 

            "If you let go I'll tell you," Miroku said in a tight voice. Kagome relented, and he rubbed his shoulder. "Guess who was in detention with me?" 

            "Uhm…the grandfather of all knowledge?" Kagome guessed.

            Miroku shook his head wildly. "Lord forbid! It was Inu-Yasha. He had an interesting story to tell." 

            "Hey! I was going to tell you about it!" Kagome protested. "Man, he steals everything from me! My friend, my lunch, and now my story?" Grouchily she folded her arms and walked at a brisk speed. 

            Her best friend coughed. "So explain why you'd play such a trick on a guy you hate, huh? I mean, from the way he said it, sounded like he had a lot of fun…"

            "That's a load of crap!" Kagome exploded huffily. "Anyway, I didn't know how to get him to walk past a mirror, since they don't exactly line the halls, and I couldn't exactly follow him into the guy's locker, so I did it the easy way." She smiled. "Plus, I wanted to see him suffer under my power." 

            An eyebrow shot up. "The easy way. Huh. So did it work? Did he have a reflection or not?" 

            His question punctured her spirits. "Yeah, he's got a reflection. I just don't get it. Aside from the mystery meat and the fangs, which any person could have, there's not a single proof that he's a vampire."

            Mirok, in typical guy fashion, slung an arm around her neck. "In my opinion, I think you became a bit paranoid. The new student comes up and gives you the evil eye, and instantly he's a vampire. Maybe you've been taking your training _too seriously?" _

            "Oh sure. Who's the one who told me, '_He has fangs!_'?" Kagome imitated Miroku's dramatic tone from before. Ignoring Miroku's affronted look, she mused, "But seriously. Why else would he be so mad to see me? We've never met. I must be reeking of vampire hunter smell." She lifted her arm and buried her nose into her shirt, sniffing experimentally. "But I don't smell anything…except deodorant, of course." 

            He rolled his eyes. "No wonder you're single."

            This earned him an elbow in his face and Kagome storming ahead, muttering about why Miroku even was her best friend and how she was going to be late for her training, which was a _much better__ way to spend her time. _

*          *          *

            "Kagome, I'm really impressed by your skills," Myouga said, wiping his brow. The two of them had just finished an extensive practice. 

            She stood in the middle of Myouga's dojo, panting heavily. In one hand she held a bow, and in the other a medium sized silver arrow. A normal vampire killer usually armed herself with a stake, but the best carried more unusual weapons. Myouga had been training her to reach Kikyo's level. Kikyo had not been a normal vampire killer, she'd been the best. She'd had purified arrows that could dissolve strong vampires and vampires in large numbers with one arrow. It was a sign of how much power she had, since she purified the arrows herself. Myouga said that Kikyo had been able to do it at fifteen. Kagome had managed to do it a year later. 

            "It seems to me you worked extra hard today," Myouga said lightly, bouncing around the room and picking up debris from the holes Kagome had created in his walls. "You don't usually puncture my dojo like this."

            With an angry puff Kagome blew the hair away from her eyes. "Just needed to burn off some anger," she muttered. "Sorry about your dojo. You should get some stronger walls." 

            "Yes, because vampire killing is such a high-paying profession," Myouga said sarcastically. "You think silver for those arrows is cheap?" 

            The girl shrugged. "You can just loot the treasure rooms of all the vampires you defeat." She walked over to the door of the dojo and picked up her bag. "I'm going to bring Kaede's bow back," she called over her shoulder. Kaede lived with Myouga in the house just next to the dojo. "Then I have to go. It's Souta's anniversary, and Mom wants us all home." At once her face darkened. 

            Myouga knew what she was thinking of. The vampire with black hair, the one who'd taken her brother and taken her blood. He watched as her hand crept up and touched the two tiny scars on her neck, where the vampire had bitten. 

            "Fine. You did a wonderful job today. I think you can go home on your own now, Kagome-chan?" 

            Kagome made a face. A few years ago Myouga had still had to walk her home because she was so young. Now she hated it whenever someone called her Kagome-chan. "I can. See you tomorrow." With another wave, she left. 

            After dropping off the arrows at Kaede's, Kagome started for the walk home. At this time, just after dusk had fallen, the subways and trains would be packed. She'd found a short cut some months ago, but she rarely took it because it was so narrow and dark. Kagome had had her share of bad experiences in narrow and dark places. Today, though, her mother wanted her home soon. _It's not like a vampire's lurking behind every alley, _she mused. _And I can take on a normal guy easily. She decided to take the short cut. _

            Her shoes splashed on the damp ground. Even though it was just the beginning of night, the alley was swamped in shadows. Kagome thought she could make out some shapes rustling against the walls, but that could just be her paranoia. 

            A teenage girl walking alone in a dark alley… it was the perfect target for dirty men…or hungry vampires. Within minutes a group of them swarmed around her and cut her off. 

            Kagome stopped in her tracks. At first her blood froze, but then she realized it wasn't the black haired vampire. They were lower class—that meant brainless, horny, and incredibly easy to slaughter. Any vampire hunter could take them on easily. She quickly reached into her bag and pulled out a wooden stake. 

            Immediately they burst into laughter. There were many of them, most of which were concealed in the shadows. The one closest to her, who happened to be the ugliest, laughed the hardest, showing his yellowed fangs. "Aw, what are you going to do? Pull a Buffy on us?" he sneered. 

            She gasped in surprise. "I didn't know you had cable TV in your evil vampiric lairs!" she said half-sarcastically. She looked at the stake in her hand. Although wood was almost useless against even the weakest vampire, she could purify wood till it was good as silver. "Actually, Buffy doesn't know jack schnit," she said as she lunged at the vampire. She thrust it into his chest and squinted as he exploded. 

            They scrambled on her. Kagome ducked, kicked, punched, flipped over, and somersaulted her way out of untimely death. Vampires exploded around her, leaving her dusty with bits of ash. She was doing flawlessly…coolly and calmly like Kikyo had done. Six years of hard training were seriously showing tonight.

            Suddenly, the vampires stopped. They lifted their heads and sniffed the air. All of a sudden they _ran_—streaking towards Kagome's side of the alley, pushing her to the wall as they fought to run away. 

            Kagome squinted in the darkness. In the scramble of vampires, she thought she'd seen a flash of gold. It caught her eyes again and she saw.

            Her eyes grew wide as she saw Inu-Yasha running with the vampires, his amber eyes glowing and his fangs bared in anger. 


	3. The Truth

AN: Everything will be explained (or will it? Wahahaha…) in this chapter. Don't worry, I'm not rushing anything, and let's just say Kagome jumps to conclusions very easily. ^_^ Enjoy the next chapter. 

The Truth

            "Inu-Yasha's a vampire!" 

            Miroku didn't look the least bit shocked. They had, after all, concluded that yesterday. He was sitting at his desk, with Kagome leaning over him. Homeroom hadn't yet started, and he was busy trying to finish some last minute homework. Kagome looked irritated at his lack of interest. "Didn't you hear me? I've got proof he's a vampire!"

            He sighed and went to work on another problem. _If a cannon ball is shot at a speed of 20mph and at a 60 degree angle with the force of gravity being the sum of two consecutive prime even integers…After five minutes of staring at it blankly he began doodling a pirate ship around the cannon, and a big ugly pirate with a big hat ordering his minions to fire…_'Ar, ar, give us yer treasure!'_…_

            There was a sound of ripping paper as Kagome tore up his 'homework'. Miroku's jaw dropped as his work fell around him in a shower. "Kagome! I put a lot of hard work into that!"

            "You weren't doing homework anyway," she replied snippily. "Besides, how can you think of doing homework while a vampire is around this school? A vampire, which, by the way, attacked me last night?" 

            "Come on, Kagome, it's not like you're a weakling," Miroku said. "You could have just pulled a Buffy or something." 

            She started to argue, then narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Miroku, where were you between six and six-thirty last night?" 

            "Kissing the floor while begging my landlady to let me stay and promising to stay ten meters away from her daughter," Miroku replied in a hearbeat. "Why? Was it something I said?" 

            With impatience Kagome pounded her fist on his desk. "Geez, don't you get it? Your new best friend is a vampire! I saw him last night while his 'gang' or whatever attacked me. You can listen to me now or go and get yourself killed."

            "I suggest getting yourself killed. It's the lesser of the two evils," a voice from behind them interrupted. Kagome jumped a foot in the air and found Inu-Yasha smirking. He looked at Kagome casually. "Hi. Fun night last night?" 

            Her jaw dropped. Just come right out and say it, why don't you…She felt her hand inching towards Miroku's pencil. Miroku didn't notice, because he was now staring at Inu-Yasha warily. His gold eyes were still lit in a smirk, and his arms were crossed calmly over his chest. "Maybe that should teach you not to walk in dark alleys at night." 

            She felt her temper flare. "Then what were you doing there?" she hissed out. "Taking a nighttime stroll?" 

            Inu-Yasha raised his eyebrow. "I was…It's none of your business." 

            Kagome glared at him. "You don't need to fake it anymore. I know what you are. You think I'm stupid? I've known forever. You're a—"

            "Class is starting!" Twitchy-Eye Homeroom Teacher boomed, bursting into the classroom. "Higurashi! Place your behind on a chair before I glue you into one!" Kagome did, but before sitting she stole a peek at Inu-Yasha's face. He looked absolutely stunned. White as a vampire. 

            Satisfied that he'd finally gotten it, Kagome stared straight ahead as he sat woodenly in his chair. Then he turned to her and whispered, "How did you find out?" 

            _When you tried to kill me last night, of course, _Kagome thought, turning her face away in self satisfaction. She couldn't stand to look at him. Now all she had to do was ask Myouga how to deal with vampires once you found out they actually _were _vampires. 

*          *          *

            It was easy as pie to skip school in the middle of the day. Kagome didn't do it often, since she was slightly obsessed with keeping her grades at a high level. But all she had to do was jump the wall. It was low enough so that Kagome could just climb the trees next to it, which is what she did. 

            Once out of school, she headed for Myouga's dojo. She wasn't sure whether killing Inu-Yasha in school was such a good idea. Besides, she'd never killed a vampire she'd actually known for more than five minutes. As much as Kagome didn't want to admit it, killing Inu-Yasha wasn't going to be easy. 

            She stopped by Kaede's before going to the dojo. "Kaede-baasan!" she called out, poking her head into the front door. There was a pot of tea steaming on the kitchen table. Kagome went over to it, lifted the lid, and took a sniff. Her face soured and she quickly closed the pot. Kaede made the strongest tea in the world—no normal human could drink it without having some sort of violent attack, not even Myouga. 

            Sounds of someone walking quickly grew louder, and Kaede entered the kitchen. "Hello, Kagome. Skipping school again?" Her tone sounded slightly disapproving. 

            "Sorry. I have an important question for Myouga-sensei. Is he in the dojo?" 

            "Yes, but he has another student with him. Coincidentally enough he also had a question for Myouga as well. This tea is for them. Actually, would you mind taking it to them? I have some arrows that I need to work on." She gestured at the pot. "You know where the cups and things are."

            "Another student?" Kagome knew that Myouga and Kikyo weren't the only vampire hunters—but she'd never met any of the others. She wondered if they were training to reach high levels as well. She didn't know if they were trying to reach Kikyo's level, like her. 

            Kagome found a tray and some cups and brought the tea towards the dojo. As she neared the door, she caught snippets of conversation. 

            "—She saw me in the alle—" 

            "—Who is '_she'?—"_

            "—What do you do—if she knows—vampire hunter?" 

            She slid the door open. And nearly dropped the tea. 

            Myouga's and Inu-Yasha's heads swiveled at the sound of the door opening. Inu-Yasha looked shocked for the second time that day—it must have been a record for him. "_Kagome?" he sputtered. "What are you doing here?" _

            He was asking _her_? "What about you?! You aren't supposed to be here!" Kagome shouted. There had never been a time in her life when she'd been more confused. Inu-Yasha was a vampire, right? So why was he sitting there, talking to Myouga? 

            "Kagome, did you skip school again?" Myouga asked in a reproving tone. 

            "Er, yes, but let's not get into that," Kagome said grimly. "Sensei, Inu-Yasha's a vampire! What the hell is he doing here?" 

            Stunned silence followed her. Then Myouga burst into laughter, great guffaws that threatened to give him a heart attack. Inu-Yasha's face was disbelieving, then he got it. "I'm a _what_?" he yelled, standing up. "You thought I was a vampire?" He turned to Myouga and pointed a finger at Kagome. "And how does she know about this stuff anyway? What's she doing here?" 

            "…P-p-priceless," Myouga stuttered, then howled with laughter again. 

            He shook his head. "Useless is what he is," he muttered to himself. He looked at Kagome. "Seriously. What are you doing here?" 

            Kagome wanted to ask the same question, but she realized it would get done quicker if she answered. "I train here," she said. "I've been training here since I was ten. Now what are you doing here?" 

            "Same thing," he replied. "I train here. Now hang on—you thought I was a vampire?" 

            She fidgeted. "Uhm, you mean you're not?" 

            Realization suddenly dawned on Inu-Yasha's face. "The gross rash initiation thing! You had enough silver on your neck to finance a small country! …Were you _testing me?" _

            Cringe, cringe. "Sort of." Before Inu-Yasha could fix an evil glare on her, she broke quickly into an explanation. "What was I to expect? On your first day of school, you glare at me like you hate me yet I did nothing wrong! Then you ate mystery meat—and dropped all these hints about being a vampire. Before, uhm, deciding to impale you with a stake, I wanted to test you. The silver, the reflection in the mirror of the girls' locker…" Her voice faded as Inu-Yasha's gaze became more withering. She finished in a small voice, "Why did you glare at me on the first day of school?"

            He scowled. "I didn't know glaring at people made you a vampire." His words made Kagome flush with embarrassment, so that she forgot he hadn't answered her question. 

            Myouga wiped the tears away from his eyes and finally reduced his laughter to little chuckles. "This is just too much for me," he chortled. After both Inu-Yasha and Kagome looked at him hard, he cleared his throat. "I suppose you both want to know what's going on." 

            "Yes please," Kagome said flatly. "And have some tea while you're at it." Noticing Myouga's dubious expression as he glanced at the tray she'd set down, she added, "I made it myself."

            The old man reached over and poured himself a cup. "Well, Inu-Yasha isn't a vampire, as you might have known already. He's one of the finest vampire killers in training—an old friend of mine was his former sensei. But he's gone off to fight another clan of elite vampires—the one where Kikyo had died in—and entrusted Inu-Yasha to me." 

            Kagome took the information slowly. "What about last night? I saw him running with the vampires that attacked me." 

            Inu-Yasha snorted. "I wasn't running with the vampires, stupid. I was running after them. I thought they were going to tear you to pieces."  

            Myouga held up a hand. "And to answer your question, Inu-Yasha, Kagome isn't just a normal girl."

            "I sort of knew that when she started acting freaky—" Inu-Yasha began. 

            His master shot him a warning look. "You thought she had seen you fighting the vampires last night. But did you see her fighting them?"

            A pause. "Well, I sort of saw her moving around," he admitted. "But I thought she didn't know what she was doing. I thought she was trying to pull a Buffy or something."

            "Why is everyone saying that?" Kagome wondered out loud. 

            "Well now you know," Myouga cut in. "Kagome is training to take revenge on the Inu-kai vampires for what they did to Kikyo. Doesn't she sort of look the part as well?" Kagome felt Inu-Yasha's cool gaze on her and looked down.

            "So you're saying Kagome is trying to take Kikyo's place?" The tone in Inu-Yasha's voice sounded almost disbelieving. "Do you really think someone could be good enough?"

            That made Kagome speak. "Hey, I'm trying!" she said. "Besides, why do you care so much? It's not as if you actually knew her." 

            "I have my own business with the Inu-kai clan, okay?" he snapped. The two locked glares, and the tension that sparkled between them was hot enough to fry eggs. 

            Myouga cleared his throat again. "Kagome, I really didn't want to tell you this, but Inu-Yasha would anyway, and probably with his choice of words he'd be drowned and dead before the sun sets. Some vampire killers were doubtful of your skills. After all, Kikyo was a legacy. She had skills at age thirteen that normal slayers had at twenty-three. She was the only one who could purify silver, before you. Some people thought I was hoping for too much, training you. So that's why they took Inu-Yasha and started to train him." 

            His words slowly sank into Kagome's brain. "Are you saying they thought I wasn't good enough?" She felt anger flowing into a well inside of her, so much that she needed to bring it out. "You said that my skills nearly surpassed Kikyo's. Were you lying?"

            "Kagome, that's not it. You had already displayed signs of great talent before you started training. Your skills do reach Kikyo's level. In the words of my old friend…Inu-Yasha was a just-in-case." 

            _ A just-in-case…just in case I didn't make it. _Her anger was growing larger. Kagome's eyes traveled around the room, passing Inu-Yasha's stony gaze, and fell on a line of silver arrows against the wall. She walked over to them and picked one up. She closed her eyes for a second. The arrow flared once, and a slight sheen covered it. That usually happened when silver was being purified. Kagome drove its tip into the wall. "You're right," she said quietly. "Kikyo was a legend. How could I ever compare?"  

            She disappeared out the door, the two men still staring after her. 

            "She can purify arrows?" Inu-Yasha muttered. "My third shock of the day…it feels unsettling."

            "They're as strong as your Tetsusaiga," Myouga said with a trace of pride, finally sipping his cup of tea. His eyes popped open and his mouth puckered up—he swayed violently until crashing down on his side, twitching. From his paralyzed lips he muttered, "She didn't make this tea…it's Kaede's…don't drink it if you wanna live…"

            Inu-Yasha turned his head and looked down on the man, apparently not caring that he was in the middle of a violent seizure. "So I'm a just-in-case?" 

*          *          * 

            Kagome headed back towards school, but she didn't feel like returning to class. Instead she sat on the hill that overlooked the field and watched the gym classes jog around the track. She hugged her knees with her chin resting on them. _So what if I'm not as good as Kikyo? I'm trying. I could have said no, only I want Souta's death avenged. And I want to find the black haired vampire. _She closed her eyes, the wind swirling around her almost lulling her into drowsy sleep.

            When she opened her eyes again, a pair of gold ones were staring at her calmly. Kagome shrieked and scuttled back on the grass. One of Inu-Yasha's eyebrows disappeared above his hairline, then a smirk appeared, showing his fangs. At the close distance she was at, Kagome could see that any normal person could have those fangs. 

            Without another word she stood up and brushed her skirt down. As she started to walk away, Inu-Yasha grabbed her ankle so that she fell forward. Luckily for her, Inu-Yasha had been sitting in front of her and she fell on him. 

            Once again their faces were so close their noses almost touched. Kagome narrowed her eyes. "What?" she snapped, so shortly that it barely sounded like a question. 

            He let go of her ankle. "Myouga wants to let you know he's going to work you extra hard after you gave him that tea," he said. "And that we'll be training together from now on."

            "_What_?" Now it sounded like a question, and it was shouted so loudly Inu-Yasha winced. "Great, now I have to start training with you? My just-in-case backup vampire killer? In case Kagome can't fight the big guys you're there to clean up the mess. I've worked my butt off to reach Kikyo's level, but it turns out I don't have to because you can do it anyway!"

            "Oh yeah? I thought I was the one going to avenge Kikyo. But it turns out I'm second best because some girl who looks like her thinks she can give it a go." He ignored her enraged squeak. "And before you continue ranting, get off me. You're heavy."

            Kagome fixed a smoldering look on him. "I will not strangle the new kid, I will not strangle the new kid," she said quietly to herself as she got off him. "I don't believe this! You're smarmy…"

            "You're annoying…"

            "You're rude…"

            "You jump to conclusions…"

            "You steal my food…_and_ my story…"

            "…Okay…" 

            "You're obnoxious…"

            "You're weak…"

            "I'm _what_?" Kagome stood up and held up her fists challengingly. "Say that again, and I'll punch you off this hill!"

            He grinned. "Later, when Myouga's watching. Then I'll whoop your butt off this planet." 

            _I hate this_, Kagome thought inwardly. _Maybe I should quit. There's no way I can train with him. _But she knew she would have to. Besides, she wanted to see how skilled Inu-Yasha was. She sighed in defeat. "Okay, okay," she said, putting up her hands. "I'd like to propose a truce." _Not really, but what else can I do? I'm not stooping down to his immature level. _ 

            Inu-Yasha looked like he didn't know what the word meant. "A truce? You've got to be kidding. I hate you." He paused for a moment, thinking about it. "No, hate's a strong word. I really, really, really, seriously dislike you." 

            "Ditto. But we can't train together if we're going to try and kill each other all the time," she said, sighing. Trust Inu-Yasha to be so unreasonable. She wondered how she'd gotten herself into this situation in the first place. Kagome stuck her hand out. 

            He stared at it for awhile like it was some sort of alien creature, then finally put out his own hand and shook hers. "Fine, truce. I'm heading back to school in case Miroku puts two and two together and thinks something really nasty." He took a few steps, then looked behind him. "Coming?" 

            "Yeah, yeah." For the second time Kagome stood and brushed the dust off her skirt. Then a silly smile crossed her face. She started towards him slowly, singing, "Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water…" 

            "What the heck?" 

            Suddenly she ran towards him and gave him a hard shove. Inu-Yasha swayed against the steep slope, trying to keep his balance, but eventually the steep hill took him and he began to fall towards the bottom. Kagome sang, "Jack fell down and broke his—ack!" Inu-Yasha, in an attempt to stay balanced, had grabbed the hem of her skirt and pulled her down. They both somersaulted, rolled, and basically crashed their way down to the bottom of the hill. 

            Inu-Yasha landed on flat ground first, with Kagome crashing onto his stomach. For a while they just lay there, trying to catch their breath. Then Inu-Yasha groaned, "You are so stupid, Kagome."

In a weary voice, Kagome croaked, "And Jill came tumbling after..." 

_…I hate nursery rhymes. _


	4. A Nightly Visit

            AN: AN: Special shout out to **Kagome3112 because of all the nice things she said and defending me against Niki ^_^. Actually, I don't feel too angry about negative reviews because that's the whole purpose of the review board—praises and criticism. I mean, it stings *sob* but it's her opinion too. So thanks Kagome3112!! Uhm, as for the questions about the story, **Final Spirit's **comment about silver…there are also some rumors that silver affects vampires, but it's not as widely known as the werewolf one. About what he is…you'll have to read on, won't you? ^_^ Thanks for all your comments, and enjoy the next chapter.**

A Night Visit

            The next day in school Kagome checked the bulletin board and saw that tryouts for the regional competition were going to start that day. Cheering silently to herself, she turned around and almost bumped into Inu-Yasha and Miroku. 

            "Tryouts today! I can't wait to be on the team!" She flashed a wide grin at Miroku. "Do you know what this means? Yura will die! Yura will _die_!" She burst into wicked peals of laughter. 

            Inu-Yasha let out a yawn and scratched his head. "How can she be so hyper? Myouga beat us both into pancakes last night." He frowned at Kagome's happy dancing. "And who's this Yura person anyway?" 

            "Last year, in the cross country race, Yura finished a second before Kagome. She was furious about it. In fact, she swore that Yura was a vampire with supernatural powers and that she would sneak over to Yura's school and kill her. Does it sound familiar?" Miroku asked dully. He was exhausted because the math teacher had assigned him extra homework, since Kagome had mutilated his yesterday. 

            His friend snorted. "Sounds like her. But I thought track was her thing." 

            "It is. She's better at track than cross country. That's why Yura beat her last year. I'd show you the Yura dartboard she made, but I think during a blind rage she ate it. That's how mad she was."

            Inu-Yasha stared after Kagome, who was now chanting her 'death to Yura' poem. "She's a monster," he murmured. "You think maybe the black haired vampire did this to her?" Since now they were training together, Myouga had told Inu-Yasha of how Kaede had found Kagome. 

            Miroku shrugged. "Who knows? But in my opinion I think Kagome was this insane from the beginning." 

            Kagome walked over and slapped a piece of paper against Inu-Yasha's chest. "Soccer's one of the sports this season. You'd better try out, too, because our soccer team's horrible." Then she grinned. "I promise I won't switch the locker signs again." 

            Inu-Yasha grimaced at the memory, but Miroku piped in, "Kagome, could you do that for my birthday? You don't even have to buy me anything, just sit in detention for me." 

            "Hah hah. I'll think about it," Kagome said, rolling her eyes. "Anyway, Miroku, do you think you can charm the cheerleaders to make 'Die, Yura, Die!' posters for me? I'll provide the picture that I digitally altered on the computer." An evil glint shone in her eyes. Inu-Yasha took a step back. 

            "I think Inu-Yasha can do that," Miroku said. "They've all gone for the rebel type. Besides, I think I'm a one-woman man. I caught the landlady's daughter winking at me as she headed up to her room. I didn't follow her, since I didn't want to spend another night kissing their nasty floor." 

            "Miroku, a one-woman man?" Inu-Yasha shook his head. "That's an oxymoron if I ever heard one." 

            "Hey, don't call me a moron!" Miroku said defensively. "Do you know how hard it was to make my feet move to my own room?" 

            Kagome shrugged. "He's right, Inu-Yasha. Don't call him a moron." She put an arm around Miroku's shoulders. "He's a brilliant ignoramus." 

            "Thank you!" Miroku said, giving Inu-Yasha a superior look. Inu-Yasha lifted his hands in defeat and fought to keep from laughing. Kagome grinned and gave Miroku a huge bear hug. "This is the best day! I've got another chance to kick Yura's ass, my best friend is so wonderfully stupid, and I slaughtered Inu-Yasha yesterday during training!"

            "That's not true!" Inu-Yasha protested. "Hey, my Tetsusaiga is way better than your flimsy arrows." 

            She crossed her arms. "Kikyo was the best out there and she used arrows."

            "But you're not Kikyo," he countered. He knew now that he could tease Kagome about it, since she wouldn't take it so seriously. There were times when he could use that phrase to hurt her, but since he had no need to…he wouldn't do anything unless he absolutely had to. 

*          *          *

            Myouga smacked his hand against his forehead as he saw Inu-Yasha swing Tetsusaiga so slowly it looked like slow motion. Kagome was moving as equally slowly to block his attack, raising her bow like she was underwater. "What's wrong with you two? This isn't a movie, you're supposed to fight each other!" 

            "So tired," Kagome moaned. "Tryouts were three hours long. Three hours! My legs feel like lead." 

            "The soccer players seem to forget I'm part of their team," Inu-Yasha added, setting his sword down. "And they're all big. Abnormally big. I think they feast on blood. Maybe they're vampires, Kagome." 

            "Why're you asking me?" 

            "Well to you, half the school is vampiric, right?" 

            "_What?! _If I weren't exhausted to the point of collapsing I would tear you into pieces and those pieces into little pieces and those little pieces into littler pieces--!"

            The old master shook his head as he hopped around them. He'd recovered from his seizures and given both Kagome and Kaede a big scolding about the tea. "Weaklings, both of you. This just tells me I have to train you for fitness. A high class vampire will keep you jumping." 

            "Well, we're not there yet, are we?" Inu-Yasha snapped. "Because no one can find the stupid castle!" He looked extremely angry—and tired. 

            Myouga stared at the two for a moment. They didn't look like they were ready to function at any moment. "Fine, both of you go home. But tomorrow, no matter how hard try outs are, I expect you to work extremely hard during training." 

            "Ugh, you know, that's what makes people turn to drugs…all the pressure." Kagome gathered the few arrows she'd managed to shoot with her little strength. Inu-Yasha's sword glowed as he slid it into a sheath half its size. The sword still managed to fit, turning into a rusted long blade. Kagome made a mental note to ask how it did that. 

            They started the walk home silently. Kagome didn't know where Inu-Yasha lived, since the shrine was closer. Kagome couldn't even remember how they'd tolerated each other last night, since Inu-Yasha was still angry after the whole hill incident. 

            "So did your mom say anything?" Inu-Yasha's voice made Kagome lift her head. They were a couple of blocks from her house, but since they were exhausted they were walking very slowly. 

            "About what?" 

            Inu-Yasha made an impatient noise. "About you training to be a vampire killer, of course." 

            Kagome fought back a scathing remark, which came automatically whenever it concerned Inu-Yasha. "She doesn't know yet. I didn't tell her. And I won't tell her, until I found out what happened to Souta." 

            "Why? Don't you want her to know?" 

            She fidgeted. Usually she could talk to Miroku about things like these. But she'd barely known Inu-Yasha for less than a week and already he was asking these questions. "Because if I tell her, it'll make her hope. And if I let her down, it'll be too much for her. She's already upset over Souta. No need to hurt her a second time. Not to mention the fact that she won't believe me." 

            He hmphed and stuck his nose in the air. Kagome saw in his expression that either he didn't care about the entire thing, or that he didn't understand the part about hurting people for the second time. "What's done is done, and people can't get more hurt than from the first time," he muttered. 

            "Well, she's not your mother, and you're not me," Kagome said.

"Thank god."

 She saw that they were nearing her house. "Right. That was a nice little life lesson we had, it's prompted me to do some serious soul-probing." Kagome tried to put as much sarcasm in it as possible. "Thanks for walking me home."

            "Who says I was walking you home? This is just the way to my house. Like I'd ever walk someone like you home." Inu-Yasha sniffed and walked at a quick pace, going ahead of her and passing her gate. 

            "Uhm, bye," she called out after him as he turned the next corner. Kagome slipped in through the gate then locked it. 

Kagome entered the house to be greeted with dark silence. Grandpa was sleeping, her mother was in her room. She contemplated telling her mother, but what if she really couldn't find Souta? Or the hidden castle? 

It had never occurred to her before to tell her mother. She couldn't exactly say, "Mom, I'm a vampire hunter and it was a vampire that took Souta." And she didn't get what Inu-Yasha was saying. Of course people would be hurt the first time, but when hope was given to them and they were hurt a second time, that would be a crushing blow. She shrugged and put it aside. She was a girl and Inu-Yasha was a guy, and it was common fact that guys just didn't get it. 

*          *          *

            After a week of exhausting running and kicking, Inu-Yasha and Kagome made their teams. Kagome was now fantasizing about her winning speech, generously devoting three paragraphs to Yura and how this defeat was only the beginning, that there were many more opportunities to bite the dust (insert evil laughter here). A sort of initiation for new soccer members was to streak through the cafeteria wearing jock straps during lunch, since the oldest soccer members were part of a fraternity and were obsessed with initiations. Inu-Yasha would have rather hung himself than to lose his rebel image, so he refused to do it. When the team threatened him, he calmly told them that if they kept pushing him, he would make _them _do it. 

            A day and five hours later, the soccer team—sans Inu-Yasha—ran through the cafeteria wearing nothing but jock straps. Chaos ensued. 

            All the teams wanted to have a party, to celebrate getting in and to burn the other schools' mascots. They got together after school to decide where to have the party. Sodas were passed around, along with cookies. 

            "I think we should have it at Takahara's," a member of the basketball team spoke up. "He's the richest, and he's got the biggest house, and the largest stock of beer." 

            Kagome rolled her eyes. As usual, people thought a party meant wild dancing and getting drunk. "If that's the case, count me out," she said. "I'd rather stay home and watch the ants crawl across my floor." 

            "No, we can't have it at Takahara's. His dad's still under house arrest," one of Inu-Yasha's teammates said. "I think for corruption and accepting bribes. I forgot." Everyone looked down at the floor. 

            "Oh! I know!" A cross-country girl spoke up. "Let's have it at Kagome's. She lives in a shrine, so it's pretty big." Everyone nodded their heads and turned to Kagome. 

Her eyes widened and she shook her head fervently. "You can't have it at my place! I insist, there's no way!"

            "But it is pretty big, Kagome," Inu-Yasha said casually. He turned away from Kagome's warning glare and faced the others. "There's a lot of outdoor space for us to hang around in, the whole shrine stretches around the block."

            Already people were making approving sounds. Kagome saw that she was way outnumbered and groaned in defeat. "I think you want to die," she muttered towards Inu-Yasha as she clambered onto a table, waving her hands over her head to be noticed. 

            "Okay. If you want to have the party at my place, fine. But I have some rules." Kagome held up a finger. "One. No beer, nor any kind of alcohol. I'm not Takahara, and thank god for that. Two. No drugs. If I catch you high, I'll kick you out _and tell your coach. Three. Outdoors only. No entering the shrine, no entering the house. Four. No one bugs my mother. Got it?" She looked hard at the sea of faces, waiting for affirmation. "If anyone breaks any of the rules…" Kagome crushed her empty can of soda with one hand, "You won't live to be in the regionals." She smiled prettily. "Oh, and five. Bring your own food. I'm not shelling out any cash just to feed you. If you agree, then that's fine. See you tonight." _

            As she hopped off the table, she saw Inu-Yasha shaking his head. "And I wondered why you were single," he said. 

            "Shut up," she said, tossing her crushed soda can into the bin. "And bring some nachos tonight. I never get to eat nachos. Something always happens."

*          *          *

            Just to make sure that her mother wouldn't be frazzled by the noise, Kagome bought her and her grandfather tickets to a movie and dinner afterwards. She'd already assured her mother that everything was taken care of and that there would be no drunk people—or toilet paper— hanging off their roof.

            Someone had brought a stereo with amazingly large speakers, and loud music pulsed out throughout the night. Even before the party officially started, people were filling in. A pile of rival school mascots was growing in the back yard to be burned. 

            Though Kagome had said no alcohol, someone had spiked the punch once the party was in full swing. Since she was busy running around, she'd drunk quite a lot of punch before realizing that her vision was starting to get blurry and her breath was starting to smell like vodka. 

            Not wanting anyone to see her half stoned, she stumbled into the house and into her room. She entered the darkness and fumbled for the light switch. 

            She nearly had a heart attack when, instead of the light switch, she felt someone leaning against the wall. 

            Before she could scream, a cold hand covered her mouth and another arm encircled her waist. Kagome was pulled towards the man (it sure didn't feel like a woman) against his chest. Even in the darkness his hands were white. They were cold as death. There was no doubt that this was a vampire. 

            "Kagome, so nice to see you again…" a cool voice whispered in her ear. "It's been six years…" 

            Her eyes widened. She opened her mouth and bit the man's hand, then clawed her way out of his grasp. Fumbling around her bed for a silver arrow, which she knew she had somewhere, Kagome finally found one and held it up. 

            His laughter made her freeze. 

            _A cold afternoon. Kagome and Souta were walking home from a trip to the candy store. It had started to rain. _

_            "There's a shortcut," Kagome said, pointing at an alleyway. Little Souta was holding onto her hand. "If we go there we can make it home a lot quicker."_

_            "Don't like wet," Souta said. "Go home fast!" The two children entered the alleyway. _

A drop of sweat rolled down her face. Why was she so scared? She would never freeze up in front of a vampire. Kikyo had certainly remained calm Why was she scared? Was it the punch? 

            "You have a strong bite," the black-haired vampire said. In the glow of the silver arrows she could make out only shadows of his features. "You'll make a great vampire." 

            She swallowed hard. How was she going to get out of this? 

            _They were stopped by a tall man. Kagome tried to move around him, but he didn't move. "Uhm, excuse us, please," she said politely, still trying to pass. _

_            "What a pretty girl," he said, a hand reaching down and lifting Kagome's chin. She found herself staring into the face of a man with alabaster white skin and soulless eyes. She was growing frightened. He smiled, and showed fangs like a dog's. _

She closed her eyes, then opened them. He was still there. Her hand was growing clammy with fear. She fought it down. "Where is my brother?" she asked, trying to keep her voice icy, like Myouga said Kikyo's had been. Flat and cold, never to reveal her emotions. "Did you kill him?" 

            He laughed again. "And make my beautiful bride cry? No. He's alive, he's waiting for you in my home. You can come see him, if you like." 

            The news made her knees weak. But she had to stay strong. "Bring him to me," she said. "I won't go with you." 

            _The man reached down, his mouth hovering over Kagome's small neck. She was scared to death—the hand that held Souta's was white and shaking. Finally she felt an intense pain on her neck, and she screamed and fell into darkness. Her last thoughts were of Souta screaming her name and a whirl of black. _

_            When she opened her eyes they were both gone. _

            "A pity," he said. "I'll have to wait until you've gained some sense." He crossed the room and picked up her hand. "Meanwhile, I'll have a little taste…" His lips found her wrist and his fangs sank deep into her veins. 

            She didn't cry out this time, but the pain made her grit her teeth. Almost automatically she thrust the arrow into the vampire's shoulder. 

            He jerked up, his face contorted in pain, alight with the glow of the arrow. "This power…" he looked at her in disbelief. "Kikyo?!"

            "Kagome!" Someone had entered the house. Kagome could hear Inu-Yasha's footsteps in the hallway as he called her name. "Kagome!"

            The black haired vampire whirled around. "Inu-Yasha? What's he doing here?"

            "How do you know Inu-Yasha?" Kagome demanded. 

            "Hmph. There's a lot you don't know. You have too many questions. When you change your mind, I'll come and answer them. But I'll tell you one thing—" Through the glow of the arrow she could see his sneer. "—Inu-Yasha's not what he might appear to be." He staggered, his hand on his bleeding shoulder. Without another word his cape swirled around him and shrank until there was nothing. 

            Only now did Kagome allow herself to sink to the floor. She saw the silhouette of someone against her door, and a second later light filled the room. She looked down at her hand, where blood was dripping down her fingertips and onto the carpet. 

            Inu-Yasha cursed and ran over to her. "Shit, Kagome, what the hell happened? Who was in here?" He picked up her wounded hand in his own. "One of your teammates said she saw you coming in here looking all dazed. What happened?" 

            Her hands were trembling. Kagome looked up at Inu-Yasha and was surprised to find his gaze worried. "There's a first aid kit in my bathroom," she said, her voice shaky. "Please bring it over here." 

            A few minutes later, Kagome was sitting cross legged on the floor, bandaging her wrist. Inu-Yasha sat across her. "It was the black-haired vampire," she said, her voice soft. "Souta's alive. He has him."

            "I'll call Myouga," Inu-Yasha said, getting up. Kagome grabbed him with her unharmed hand. 

            "No! Myouga searches for the hidden castle at night. Besides, I promised myself I'd get Souta on my own. Kikyo's revenge is one thing, but getting my brother back is another. I'm responsible for his loss. So I'm gonna get him back." Her face was full of determination. 

            Inu-Yasha didn't look so convinced. "That would sound so heroic, if it wasn't so stupid." 

            "Well, it's not like it'll fail or anything. I've got my backup." Kagome let the barb sting him. 

            He scowled. "Like you said, Kikyo's one thing, your brother's another." 

            Kagome fiddled with the bandage for a few seconds, then blurted out, "He knows you. He knew it was you when you called my name. Know any crazy black haired vampires obsessed with making me his bride?" 

            "My old sensei knew tons," he said after a short beat. "What did he say about me?" 

            "He said…that you weren't what you appeared to be." 

            Inu-Yasha snorted. "An old vampire trick to scare the nuts out of amateurs. Makes them all untrusting of other vampire killers." But it was either the alcohol fiddling with her brain or something, but Kagome swore he didn't meet her eyes.

            He noticed that Kagome's eyes looked bleary. "You don't look too good." Then he wrinkled his nose. "You don't smell too good either. I thought you said no alcohol."

            "Someone spiked the punch." Kagome yawned loudly. "Actually, I think I'll turn in early. Thanks for coming to my rescue." She smiled wanly. "Uhm, by any chance you wanna help me reach my bed? I'm still so scared I'm surprised I didn't pee my pants. My legs are pretty much paralyzed in place."

            Inu-Yasha rolled his eyes. He picked her up, walked over to the bed, and unceremoniously dumped her on it. She buried herself under her covers. "Sweet dreams," he said as he was leaving, though it didn't sound like he meant it. "I guess you won't be there to eat the nachos." 

            A groan from under the covers. "I knew it. It's a conspiracy against me." 

            "You want me to turn off the light?" 

            Kagome snickered, as if he were asking an incredibly stupid question. She _was _sixteen after all… "No, wait, actually, don't. I'm really scared. You be the host tonight, and don't let them make the music too loud. Please?" 

            He shrugged. "Whatever. I'll be outside if you need me."

            _I guess he's not too bad, _she mused, already half asleep. With her eyes closed, she wasn't aware of how he was looking at her for a few minutes, his golden eyes resting lightly on her curled figure. She didn't see the sadness that was way within the hard look in his eyes. She was already in deep sleep when his footsteps faded down the hallway, but his face still remained in her mind during her sleep, the face of another friend.  


	5. A Race Against Darkness

             AN: Won't be updating for awhile, because I've got exams all next week. But I'll be typing chapter 6 and will have it posted afterwards. The whole plot (if there is one) of this fic will reveal itself soon, it just takes quite awhile. And **Silver Bright's **question about fangs, well, lots of people have those pointed canines. Miroku and Kagome just called them fangs because they were paranoid that Inu-Yasha was a vampire. If you look at Avril Lavigne, she's got 'fangs'. So that kind of thing isn't so serious (or is it?). And I'm changing the summary of this because I already say how Kagome becomes a vampire hunter (don't really like saying 'slayer' because it gets all Buffy-ish) in the first chapter, so…but that's not important. Anyway, enough of my babbling. Yura makes an appearance! Kagome kicks ass! And Inu-Yasha is reminded of the past…uh, enjoy the next chapter. ^_^

The Race Against Darkness

            Miroku yawned loudly as he laced up his sneakers. It was barely dawn, and around this time he was either fast asleep or trying to spy on the landlady's daughter while she was taking a shower. He didn't even know how Kagome had talked him into this. Now he was standing in front of Kagome's house while she stretched. _Man I hope he comes soon…_

            She was doing lunges on the sidewalk. He didn't bother stretching, since he always found it hard to sit afterwards. It wasn't like he was going to survive this jogging excursion anyway, not with Kagome hyped up about beating Yura. 

            "Come on, Miroku, stretch!" she ordered, now raising her arms over her head. Miroku grumbled and half-heartedly bent to touch his toes. It was a bad move, since being so low to the ground made him sleepy again. He found himself closing his eyes…

            Kagome stopped doing twists when she saw Miroku bent over, unmoving. It looked like he was stretching, only he'd been in the same position a minute ago. She walked over to him and heard snoring. He had fallen asleep. "Miroku! Get up!" She stomped on his toe, which made him jerk up and look around him blearily. 

            "Oh no, the sadist is coming too?" an annoyed voice from behind them broke through Kagome's scolding. They turned around to see Inu-Yasha decked out in jogging gear, his normal I'm-too-good-for-you expression on his face. "Miroku, you didn't mention this." 

            Kagome glanced at Miroku. "You invited _him_?" 

            Miroku shrugged. "Hey, it's not like I'm going to survive jogging with you. It might be a light walk in the park for you, but it's suicide for me. I thought having someone with the same level of fitness would be fun, especially after I pass out from exhaustion." 

            "That's so sweet," she said dryly. "I'm glad to see you took my interests at heart." 

            It was two weeks after the incident at Kagome's . The regionals were in another two weeks. They had both been training their behinds off, both with their teams and with Myouga. Kagome had noticed that ever since 'that night,' talking to Inu-Yasha was a lot easier. In fact, they trained together more often. Sometimes Inu-Yasha would go jogging with her, and sometimes Kagome would watch him play soccer with the other guys and critique him (in her own mean way) when he was done. 

            Kagome adjusted the arm bands around her wrists. Inu-Yasha's eyes caught the movement and he asked, "How's the arm doing?"

            She made a face as she pulled an arm band back, revealing a tender scar. "Now people come up to me and ask me if I'm suicidal. It's going to take some serious scar treatment to remove this thing." Vampire bites were not pleasant things. Aside from hurting, they also had after effects that lasted days. It seemed to amplify the effects of the alcohol, since she'd had a week-long hangover that made Inu-Yasha and Miroku stay away from her for a few days. 

            "Well, it's your fault for freezing up. Next time I won't be around to save you," he said importantly. He leaned against the gate of Kagome's house and began doing some calf stretches. After a few minutes he stood up. 

            Her arms were folded across her chest. "I was doing fine without you. Did you not notice the big silver arrow I had jammed into his shoulder?" 

            His eyes narrowed. "You should have killed him right there on the spot."

            "Yes, because strong vampires are _so easy to kill!" she argued. "Especially vampires that are the reason for my traumatized childhood. It's not so easy, bigshot. I'm not as strong as Kikyo, and I know that!"_

            "No, you aren't," he agreed. 

            "Oh yeah, how do you know?" 

            He glared at her darkly. "Because I do. Now are we going jogging or not?" 

            Miroku groaned inwardly. Watching them argue was a lot better than jogging around the entire country, which was what Kagome's mapped out track looked like. 

            They started jogging in silence. Kagome kept her eyes pointed ahead of her, and so did Inu-Yasha. Miroku was between them, just in case they tried to trip each other. Ten minutes into jogging he was already tired. "Hope you guys aren't planning on going to college, because if my lungs burst and I need a transplant, I don't have any insurance and someone's gotta pay for it." 

            "Keep it up, Miroku," Kagome huffed. "In a few weeks you'll be all buff and a sure girl magnet." 

            "I already am one," he blinked, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

            Miroku's agony didn't last for long, however. Just before leaving the suburbs and entering the countryside, they came across a girl dressed in a t-shirt and shorts sitting on the side of the road. "Oh, can you guys please help me?" she asked in a helpless tone. "I think I've twisted my ankle." She turned her body so that it was facing them. "Can one of you guys check?" 

            Miroku lifted his eyes to the sky. 'There is a god," he breathed. He lowered his head and looked at his two friends. "You guys go on ahead, I can't turn away a damsel in distress." Grinning at the girl, he knelt beside her and placed a hand on her leg. "Now what seems to be the trouble?" 

            Inu-Yasha scowled and opened his mouth to say something, but Kagome tugged on his shirt. There was no use stopping Miroku once a pretty girl was involved. Finally Inu-Yasha gave up and continued jogging with Kagome. 

            Half an hour, after walking on a dirt road and trudging up a slight hill, Kagome and Inu-Yasha stopped on top of it and took a rest. Breathing hard, Kagome drank some water from the bottle she'd brought. She looked at Inu-Yasha and noticed he didn't carry one. "For crying out loud…did you forget to bring water?" 

            "Hmph. I don't drink when I jog. Gives me a stitch." 

            "You can't jog without having water," she argued. 

            "Try me." 

            Kagome scanned the countryside. Once down the other side of the hill, the trail was winding over an uneven height of land. Then it disappeared behind a field of long grass. In the middle of the field there was a large stone, jutting out from the grass. 

            She caught Inu-Yasha's eyes, then flicked her gaze toward the stone. And Inu-Yasha understood. He smirked at her. Three beats passed before anything happened. 

            Then they both sprinted down the hill at the same time. Kagome shot down, the wind whipping around her face. The band that had been loosely holding her hair back was blown away by the wind, making it swirl around her head. They kept an even pace, at least until they reached the rolling land. 

            Kagome did cross-country and track; she knew how to deal with uphills and downhills. Inu-Yasha was a soccer player, and was used to playing on flat ground. The unevenness of the land made him slow down, while Kagome cleared it with ease. 

            In the grass, Inu-Yasha caught up by pushing past the grass. Kagome had to claw her way through. Bit by bit they headed for the stone, the finish line. 

            Inu-Yasha touched it first. Actually, he tripped over a raised part of the rock hidden by the grass. As he fell flat on his face, Kagome rushed past him (carefully climbing over the rock) and touched the raised stone. "Yay, I won!" she cheered. 

            "Na-uh!" Inu-Yasha protested. "My toe touched it first." 

            "Did we not agree that we had to touch the rock with our hands?" Kagome gave him her own smirk, which was a good imitation of his own. 

            "Ah yes, somewhere during our telepathic conversation I'm sure we discussed it," he said sarcastically. "Because it was _so clear, that's right. I'm pretty sure it was whoever got to the rock first." _

            "You just don't want me to win!" she grumbled. "Fine, let's call it a tie because you're so whiny." She sat down on the rock and leaned against its wall. "And because I'm too thirsty to argue." 

            Inu-Yasha was suddenly aware of how dry his mouth was. He couldn't remember his throat ever being so parched—that was because he usually ran on a soccer field, and not around the countryside on the hottest parts of the day. 

            She saw his expression and smiled slyly. "You want water, right?" 

            He sniffed. "No way!" But as he swallowed, he realized how thick his throat felt…

            "You do!" she crowed triumphantly. "If you just admit it, I might give you some. Come on, Inu-Yasha, you can't be macho all the time." She tilted her head back towards the sun. "Mm…I can just imagine some crystal cool water pouring down this dry throat of mine…"

            "Okay, okay!" Inu-Yasha snapped. "Kagome, could I please—" he paused. He couldn't remember when he'd ever had to say please, not in his entire life. But she was really bugging him, and it really was hot… "Can I _please have some water?" _

            Kagome craned her neck and looked at him, a small smile on her face. "I forgot it back there. You'll have to walk back if you want some." 

            "…I would so love to kill you right now…"

            "Heh heh. Take a number, pal."

*          *          *

            Finally after weeks of training, the day of the regionals arrived. Unfortunately, Inu-Yasha refused to convince the cheerleaders to make "Die, Yura, Die!" posters, so Kagome had nothing to show when the rival schools arrived on school grounds, except for a nicely timed one-finger salute aimed at her archenemy when none of the teachers were looking. 

            Kagome had managed to put the incident with the black-haired vampire behind her (for now) as she was concentrating on winning. Before any of the competitions started, all the athletes gathered in the gym for an orientation meeting. She wandered through the throng, searching for either Miroku or Inu-Yasha, when she bumped into someone in front of her. "Oops! Sorry—" her apology faded when she saw who it was. 

            Inu-Yasha didn't have any problems finding Kagome, as soon as he saw some serious battle aura sparking near the middle of the gym. A crowd was forming around the center, and Inu-Yasha, being really tall, could see the heads of two dark-haired girls. He pushed his way through the spectators until he was standing behind Kagome. 

            "Yura…" Kagome smiled evilly. Inu-Yasha swore that if Kagome had claws, she would have swiped them threateningly at her rival. Or at least flashed them in the light. 

            "Kagome…" A very curvy girl with chin length hair replied, also grinning. She kept twining a long piece of what looked like hair around her fingers. Personally Inu-Yasha thought that was really gross, since it couldn't possibly be her hair and had to be someone else's, but then it took a weird person to catch Kagome's attention anyway. 

            "Is this Yura?" Inu-Yasha's voice made Kagome pivot slowly and face him, the evil smile unfading. _Brrrr__… "Wow, I don't see what's wrong with her. She's hot." _

            She cocked her head to the side, as if she couldn't believe what she was hearing (she probably didn't.) "Are you serious? Do you _want both your legs broken before your soccer match?" _

            The other girl stopped twisting the hair and ran it slowly across her bottom lip. Inu-Yasha gave an involuntary shudder. "You know this girl? Isn't she such a spaz-out?" her voice was calm, and ever so teasing, but not openly malicious even if her words were. Now he knew why she pissed Kagome off so much. 

            Kagome stamped her foot. "I'm _not a spaz-out!" she hissed. "Listen Yura, if you think you're going to beat me again you're so wrong. I am going to fry your ass over the barbecue and feed it to your school—" she began to launch into a fairly detailed description of what more she would do to Yura's ass when Inu-Yasha reached over and clamped his hand over her mouth. _

            "Okay, I think the purpose of this orientation is to make friends with other people, Kagome-chan, not make more enemies." He felt Kagome squirm angrily under his grasp and grinned. He loved patronizing her, since it ticked her off so much. 

            Yura began twisting the hair around her hand so that it formed a band. The look of disgust on Inu-Yasha's face was inevitable (_She's keeping _it?!_). "You'll keep her on her leash, won't you?" she asked Inu-Yasha sweetly. "And after she's tied up, come and join me in the cafeteria before the tournament. You wanted to make friends, right?" With a wink at Inu-Yasha, she turned and walked away from the circle, the crowd parting like the Red Sea for her._

            "Oor suh a oosur!" Kagome's muffled voice came through Inu-Yasha's hand. 

            He released her. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

            "I said you're such a loser! You're supposed to be on my side." Kagome whirled around and walked briskly through the crowd. "I knew you'd be a traitor. One look at her cleavage and you're a goner." 

            He followed her. "I wasn't looking at her cleavage, stupid. I was too busy recoiling in horror at that hair strand she kept playing with." 

            "Well, now you know, Yura's obsessed with long hair. She took a whole chunk of mine out last year. I don't know what else she does with it, she goes around licking it and she probably flosses with it too…" As if checking to make sure she still had her hair, Kagome brushed her hand through her raven hair. 

            Inu-Yasha stopped, then folded his arms with an interested smirk. "Kagome Higurashi, if I didn't know better I'd say you were jealous. A handsome hunk like me, with your gorgeous archenemy? It's enough to bust your brains." 

            "Hah! Don't kid yourself." Kagome turned around and glared Inu-Yasha in the eye, but she couldn't wipe the smirk off his face. With a snarl she pushed past him and headed out the door, orientation meeting forgotten. 

*          *          *

            "On your mark…get set…_go!_" 

            Flag went down, gun went off. It didn't really matter so much, since this was a long course across the hill and forest behind the school. But Kagome sprang up the moment she saw the smoke poof out from the gun. She shot ahead of the other girls, and they were soon far behind when she exited the school grounds and headed for the forest. 

            She was climbing her second hill when she heard soft laughter behind her. Kagome didn't dare turn her head, in case she lost her step. "Go away, Yura." 

            "But you sped off so fast…I was worried that you might be out of wind." Yura's silky voice only grated on Kagome's nerves and gave her more anger to fuel her. Instead of replying bitingly, she increased her speed and the distance between her and Yura, at least until they got into the forest. 

            Kagome picked her way through the fallen branches, still keeping an even pace. She was so focused on staying in front and staying ahead that she didn't notice the shadows that lurked behind the tree trunks, watching her every step. 

            Meanwhile, Inu-Yasha was playing serious ball during his opening game. In his opinion, his teammates were a bunch of incompetent giants who were only good for making new people run through the cafeteria in their jockstraps. Soccer was supposed to be for limber people, not big guys the size of barricades! Although that was probably really good for a goalie position…

            "Pass, you moron!" he yelled at his other forward, who was stomping his way through the field with the ball. The forward narrowed his eyes and kicked the ball towards Inu-Yasha. It soared through the air and nearly took his head off. He cursed and began dribbling it towards the goal. He made eye contact with the goalie, who bent forward and braced himself. "You're mine, sucker," Inu-Yasha muttered, and swung his foot. The ball soared through the air, brushed against the goalie's shoulder and hit the net. 

            Cheers erupted from the bleachers. Inu-Yasha automatically glanced toward the sidelines for Kagome's criticism, but then he remembered she was in her own battle. _Hmm_…_wonder how she's doing…he mused to himself as he jogged back to the middle. _But it's not like I really care. __

            Suddenly the speakers that had been set up around school announced, "And for our cross country girls news, Kagome Higurashi and Yura Konaya are already in the middle of the forest! Those two are really matched in speed and endurance. Who will emerge the victor?" 

            "Hopefully Kagome…" Inu-Yasha muttered as a teammate passed him the ball to start the game. "Or training with her's gonna be so unpleasant." 

*          *          *

            She was going to win this time…she was going to win this time…

            Kagome's thoughts were so driven into this one statement that she had no time to react when a figure from behind a tree jumped on her and pulled her out of the course. She had only time to gasp as more figures jumped down from treetops and grabbed her arms and her waist. 

            One of the figures bared its teeth—a vampire. Kagome struggled for awhile, then  realized something and asked, "Why aren't you exploding?! It's daytime!"

            "It's a gift Naraku-sama has bestowed on us," he answered, "So that we could capture you."

            "Kagome!" Yura was running towards her. "What on earth is happening? Who are this creatures?" They turned on her and bared their fangs. Yura stopped and took a step back, screaming. "What _are they?" _

            With Yura as a distraction, Kagome was able to wrestle free. She flipped forward, delivering a scissor kick to a vampire in front of her. "Yura, get out of here." She bent down and picked up a thick branch, which she snapped in half to make a jagged edge. Five seconds and a glowing piece of wood later, she faced the vampires. 

            "But—"

            "Go, dammit!" A vampire lunged at her. Kagome slammed his nose with her heel, but he spun around and kicked her sideways in the ribs. As she fell forward she struck his chest with the purified wood. The crunch of leaves told her that Yura was running fast—maybe towards the finish line. Damn. Stupid vampires. _They totally ruined my chances of winning first place!...They're so gonna pay.  _

            One of them started running after Yura. After a brief second of contemplating whether she should let Yura be eaten, and deciding not to, Kagome flung the stake towards the vampire's back. It hit him right where the heart was. She felt another one run up behind her, and she elbowed him hard. He flew back and landed on the ground, and Kagome skewered him with a stick.  

            But these vampires, though similar to the ones who'd cornered her in the alley, were strong—perhaps Naraku had given them more powers than just being able to stay in sunlight. That reminded her, she should probably ask. "Who's Naraku?" she demanded, dodging a punch aimed at her face. 

            "Naraku's our master," one of them replied, trying to kick her and ending up with his leg entwined around a branch. "He has orders for us to bring you to him." A wicked smile. "He says your brother misses you."

            Kagome stopped. So her black-haired vampire had a name. 

            This distraction allowed the vampire to deliver a sharp punch with the back of his fist. Kagome reeled back. She picked up another piece of wood and clenched it. Before it could be fully purified, another demon planted his foot into her stomach. She reeled backwards and slammed into a tree trunk. As she tried to break free, the foot dug in deeper, and the pain became stronger. 

            She coughed out blood. Her eyes flashed, and she lifted the now glowing piece of wood. Holding it like the handle of a sword, she dug it deep into the vampire's forehead. He screamed, and as was usual for vampires when they were impaled with a stake, exploded. But another one came, and with a relishing laugh, twisted her arm so it nearly broke. 

            Kagome bit her lip to keep from crying out. Already a trickle of blood was flowing down her nose. _Be swift like Kikyo_, she told herself, pushing herself off the tree trunk and launching herself at a vampire. _You'll never get to avenge her—or your brother—if you can't defeat them now. _

But Naraku must have been very strong, for the powers that he granted his minions were strong. Every time Kagome killed one there were two more to take his place. Eventually she found herself growing weaker, and unconsciously began calling for help in her mind. Or back-up. 

            More specifically, Inu-Yasha. 

*          *          *

            His game had ended fifteen minutes ago…they'd won, of course. Like anyone could get past their giant goalie. He moved slow, but his body took up half the goal And Inu-Yasha's playing made up for the lack of good players on the field. 

            As he was dousing himself with water (the cheerleaders were drooling) Miroku approached him. "Good game," he said. "Has Kagome finished her run?" 

            "Dunno, haven't heard the results yet." Just as he spoken, the crackle from the speakers sounded, and a voice announced, "We have a winner! Yura Konaya has just crossed the finish line for the girl's cross country race! She's a fast runner...and she's still running! Is that a record, coaches?" 

            Miroku winced. "Crap. I'll never hear the end of it. Come on, help me subdue her. You're much stronger than me." 

            "Hang on." Inu-Yasha removed his sweaty shirt (the cheerleaders were beyond drooling) and stuffed it in his duffel bag. After drying himself with a small towel, (the cheerleaders were all scrambling for a camera) he put on a clean one. "Although maybe I shouldn't have changed, since Kagome'll get it all bloody again in her rage." Mutters from the cheerleaders were in agreement that he should change right back. 

            They walked slowly towards the finish line of the cross country. Before they even got there, they saw a girl sprinting around. "Has anyone seen Miroku? Or a guy with long black hair?" she was asking frantically. It was Yura, and she looked extremely frantic. Her eyes scanned the area and fell on the two. She ran towards them. "Hey! I need to talk to you! Remember me?" 

            "Yeah, Yura," Miroku said. "Where's Kagome?"

            "She got assaulted in the forest by these…these horrible creatures! I don't know what they were, but they had these big fangs that…" Yura stopped and pressed a hand to her mouth. "There were so many…I don't know if she made it. She told me to run," she added half-defensively. She dug into her shorts pocket and pulled out a few strands of hair, then cradled them against her cheek. Miroku's lip curled in disgust and he took a step back.

            "Show me where," Inu-Yasha said shortly. He dug into his duffel bag and pulled out what looked like a really skinny sword. 

            "But I can't go back—"

            "Show me where!" he shouted. Yura squeaked and began sprinting back from the direction she came from. Inu-Yasha followed, close on her heels. 

            He was at a distance when he saw the puff that meant a vampire had exploded. But there were so many of them, and he couldn't see Kagome at all…For some reason alarm rushed through him, and memories from before came back to haunt him. 

            _Not again, I won't let this happen again…_

He drew Tetsusaiga. The glowing sword made the vampires look up. As he ran closer, he could hear them snarling his name in surprise—and a little bit of fear. Good. Eyes wild, he sliced a random vampire in half. There was _no way_ history would repeat itself…

            "Naraku has said to dispose of you," a vampire close to him hissed. "Unless of course, you'd like to stand back and watch. You seem to be very good at that." They all laughed at his joke. 

            Anger rushed through him. So it was Naraku who'd been up to all this! Again! His eyes flashed angrily, and he swiped off the demon's head. They all sprang upon him. In his blind rage, he defeated them easily. Through the figures he could see girl leaning against a tree, a piece of wood in her hands glowing. So Kagome really wasn't weak…she was still strong enough to fight…like _she _had been…

            Inu-Yasha killed most of the vampires, but there were a few who escaped. He wasn't surprised that they could run in full sunlight—Naraku had that much power that he could give to his servants. Sliding Tetsusaiga back into its sheath, he rushed toward Kagome, who'd just killed her vampire by embedding her stake into his heart. Before he reached her, she slumped towards the ground. 

            The first words she said was, "His name's Naraku…"

            "I know. Don't talk first." Inu-Yasha surveyed the damages. Cuts and bruises lined her face, and blood trickled from her lips. Her arm hung limply at her side, and her other one rested over her stomach. She had one black eye, and her fingers had a few splinters. 

            He noticed that with every breath she took, she winced. "Is anything broken?" He ran his fingers lightly down her ribcage—an action which made her blush. "Any major bleeding wounds that should probably be treated now before you bleed to death?" His hand traveled up to her temple, where an ugly gash had split, and brushed her hair away from the wound. When he looked back down at her face, she was smiling. "What?" 

            "You're being nice to me," she said weakly. 

            "Feh. I'm always nice to you. I'm a nice person, that's why I save your ass all the time." 

            Kagome wanted to protest, but Inu-Yasha's hands roaming around her body, checking for injuries, was really messing with her brain. Hopefully he wouldn't notice the speeding heartbeat…since when did her heartbeat race, anyway? When she was doing sports, yeah, but…

            She allowed herself to talk only when he was done. "Are _you OK? You looked pretty murderous out there. Nothing like I've seen in training." _

            A shadow crossed his face. "I know Naraku. I—my sensei and I—have had a lot of trouble with him in the past. And I didn't want to see you hurt—" he stopped. 

            "Aww, you care about me. Aren't you the sweetest teddy bear?" 

            "Don't push your luck. Why couldn't they slice up your tongue or something?" 

            Kagome wanted to reply, but then Yura approached them. "Wow, Kagome, you got beat up bad," she commented rather intelligently. 

            "No kidding." Kagome's eyes fell on the 1st place ribbon that had been hurriedly pinned on Yura's shirt. "I can't believe I lost again! This sucks!" She glared witheringly at Yura. "If those vampires hadn't ambushed me I would have beaten you. You know I'm better. Why, _why _didn't I let them just kill you?" She continued fuming under her breath, and Inu-Yasha gave Yura a look that said maybe she should go. She did. 

            "Hey, where the heck are you going?!" Kagome shot to her feet, then swayed dizzily and fell backwards—on Inu-Yasha. She lifted her right foot carefully and prodded her ankle. "You forgot to mention that my ankle seems sprained," she told Inu-Yasha irritably.

            He looked down. "Oh, sorry. Your ankle looks sprained." 

            "And your brain lacks size." Kagome pushed herself off him and took a few baby steps. "If I find a walking stick, I'll be okay." She searched around the grounds, and saw only little twigs. Then she remembered she'd had to get her wooden stakes from _somewhere_, and anything that could have passed for a walking stick was now ash on the ground. 

            Inu-Yasha, who'd also been examining the forest floor, realized what the only option was and sighed in defeat. "Fine, fine, I'll carry you. But you'd better hope you're not too heavy. I just played a big game." 

            "Not to fish for a sympathy vote or anything, but I just fought some really strong vampires that stayed intact in the sun." In case Inu-Yasha decided to sprint away and leave her abandoned, Kagome hopped over behind Inu-Yasha's back and placed her hands on the back of his shoulders. Surprisingly he bent down, allowing Kagome to jump up, and tucked his arms around the backs of her knees. 

            She winced when she hopped on, every part of her body was sore. But then she was able to wrap her arms around Inu-Yasha's neck, and he didn't seem to mind. He started walking back towards the school. 

            The steady rhythm that he walked in made Kagome drowsy. Before she could stop herself, her head lulled forward and dropped beside Inu-Yasha's, her chin on his shoulder. 

            He almost shoved her head back up, but when he saw Kagome's eyes closed, and felt her light breathing against his neck, he stopped himself. _She isn't really a bad person—unconscious, that is, _he added dryly. But he was thinking of something else…that Kagome had been injured _because _of him. Why else would Naraku's servants attack her? 

            Too many old memories were being brought up. He wouldn't allow them to. Even if it was Kagome, he couldn't let the past repeat itself.   


	6. Take Me Home

            AN: Yes, exams are over! I have three days before the hands of fate fall on me again. But I don't want to think about school or studying…well here's the next chapter. Some of you noticed that I'm hinting at something, but believe me it'll be _very _obvious after the next few chapters. This is a sort of tie-in chapter, nothing crucial happens in here, but that's probably because I wrote it while thinking of how to write my English essay and how to find the length of a building when the angle of depression is…blah, no more! Anyway enjoy this chapter. Next chapter—a little fluffy moment between the two, but not an all out WAFF fest. Tah!

Take Me Home

            Mrs. Higurashi was in tears when she got to the hospital. "Where is she?" she asked the front desk frantically. Grandpa was right behind her. They'd rushed to the hospital as soon as they could, as soon as they got Myouga's phone call. "Where is my daughter?" 

            "Who is your daughter, ma'am?" the nurse behind the desk asked politely, but all too slowly. 

            "Kagome Higurashi. She must have come in a few minutes ago. Please, just tell me where she is!" 

            In a few agitated minutes the nurse had given Mrs. Higurashi directions to the emergency room. Mrs. Higurashi ran like an Olympic sprinter towards the room, Grandpa close at her heels. In the room, there was a line of beds, all covered by curtains. Most of the beds were empty. She scanned inside each enclosure carefully for a sign of her daughter. 

            In the far end, someone was saying, "Hey, Kagome, does it hurt if I do this—?" 

            "Arrgh! Miroku! I've already told you it freakin' hurts! You just want to get closer to my butt, that's all!" The girl's voice was unmistakable. Mrs. Higurashi ran towards the end of the room and ripped open the curtains. 

            "Kagome!" Tears spilling out of her eyes, Kagome's mother rushed in and enveloped Kagome in a hug. It wasn't until five seconds later that she realized the whimpers coming from her daughter were not sounds of joy. Quickly she drew back and gasped as she saw Kagome's injuries for the first time. That bone-crushing hug she'd given probably didn't help much. "Oh my god, Kagome, who did this to you?" 

            Kagome's gaze traveled to where Inu-Yasha was sitting. Mrs. Higurashi followed her gaze. "You! Young man!" Inu-Yasha looked up, startled. "You did this to my daughter? How dare you! You're going to pay for that, look at how much pain she's in!" She swooped down on Inu-Yasha, who threw a terrified glance at Kagome before Mrs. Higurashi blocked his view with an angry face and lecture. 

            "Mom!" Kagome called out. "Mom, he didn't do this to me. You're jumping to conclusions. In fact, he's the one who saved me. As much as I hate to admit," she added under her breath. "In fact, no one did this to me." 

            Mrs. Higurashi stopped yelling at Inu-Yasha. "Then how did you get all those horrible injuries?" 

            Her daughter forced a laugh. "It would be funny, if it weren't so painful. While I was trying to beat Yura, I tripped and rolled down the hill. That's all." 

            "That's all?" her mother repeated. "Kagome, look at these injuries! They're quite serious! Sprained ankle, bruises, cuts, a black eye…" 

'So I ran into a tree," Kagome shrugged, looking down. Miroku coughed. 

Mrs. Higurashi began to tear up again. "How can you sound so casual? When I received the call from Myouga, I didn't know what to expect. Especially after Souta…"

            "I know, Mom," Kagome interrupted. "But I'm okay. Really." She saw Mrs. Higurashi's face and laughed weakly. "Mom, you look horrible! Why don't you go to the bathroom and fix yourself up? There's also a coffee machine outside…don't worry, Myouga's talking with the doctor now." Her voice suddenly caught on something, and she couldn't talk anymore. She flashed her mother a wavery smile. 

            Mrs. Higurashi smiled back. "Okay, if you're so sure…" She gestured for Grandpa to follow her, and he did, after giving Kagome an encouraging smile. They left the emergency room, shoulders drooped in obvious relief. 

            Miroku had noticed Kagome's voice catch. "Kagome? What's wrong?" 

            A tear rolled down Kagome's cheek. "Why is he doing this to me?" she whispered, burying her face in her hands. Miroku sent a helpless look at Inu-Yasha. The vampire hunter stood up and left the cubicle, and Miroku followed. 

            Outside, Inu-Yasha muttered in a low voice, "Yesterday she found out who her black-haired vampire. His name is Naraku, and he's only one of the most powerful vampires. I think her fear of him goes deeper than what she'd show, because when I saw her last night after she encountered him she practically couldn't move. And she's been told Souta's alive, and she was attacked by Naraku's vampires yesterday…she can only take so much before breaking down." 

            "Aren't you the concerned one," Miroku said slyly. 

            "She isn't as strong as she thinks," Inu-Yasha continued, pretending he hadn't heard. "I think she expects too much from herself to live up to Kikyo's expectations." 

            "So you're saying she doesn't have the strength to avenge Kikyo?" 

            From inside the cubicle came a very irritated, very stuffed-up voice, "You know, curtains aren't exactly soundproof, so if you're going to talk about how weak I am, do it somewhere more private!" 

            "Sorry!" Miroku called in. Inu-Yasha shrugged.

            The door to another emergency room opened and the doctor walked in, flanked by Myouga. He saw Inu-Yasha and Miroku standing outside, and asked, "Why are you out there?" 

            "Oh, we're respecting Kagome's privacy and leaving her to blubber alone," Inu-Yasha replied. "Poor girl's been through quite a shock, after all." 

            "Such pretty teeth, Inu-Yasha," Kagome said calmly through the curtains. "Keep smiling while you have them. And I'm done blubbering. What's up, Myouga?" 

            "Is her mother here?" Myouga asked the two boys. They nodded. Myouga handed Miroku a manila envelope. "Go and give this to her mother. Tell her it's Kagome's medical report, and the doctor's waiting for her in the office." Miroku left the emergency room. 

            Inu-Yasha and Myouga slipped through the curtains again, and met Kagome's dry-eyed but red-rimmed stare. "You have any tweezers?" she asked, holding up her fingers. "I might be all bandaged up like a mummy but my hands still look like cacti—and feel a lot worse." 

            "Unfortunately we don't have emergency tweezing needs like girls, so we don't exactly carry them around," Inu-Yasha replied. Kagome scowled. "But I'll look around for them," Inu-Yasha added quickly. He began to browse the trays and shelves in the little cubicle. 

            Myouga sat down on the stool beside Kagome's bed. "Kagome, you really are like Kikyo," he said, shaking his head. 

            Kagome lifted an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, am I supposed to be shocked?" 

            "You attract the attention of the highest class vampires, just like she did," Myouga explained. "Do you know how much power Naraku holds?" 

            "Well, he gave his minions enough power for them to walk around in the sunlight," Kagome mused. "And his bite really hurt. I' m guessing pretty strong? The only elite vampires I've concerned myself with so far are the Inu-kai." 

            Inu-Yasha sat down on Kagome's other side. "Found the tweezers," he said shortly. Kagome gratefully reached for them, but her fingers, sore and gnarled from clutching so many pieces of wood, dealt with the tiny instrument clumsily. Inu-Yasha let out a loud sigh. "One fight and you're as weak as spaghetti," he muttered. Kagome rolled her eyes, then made a sound of protest as Inu-Yasha yanked the tweezers from her hand. She blushed as he reached for one of her hands and began searching for splinters, gently removing them from her fingertips. 

            "Being Kikyo's partner, I knew a lot about the vampires who were interested in her. She was very beautiful, and had so much power that vampires lusted after her. In fact, near the end of her career, there was a rumor circulating among the other slayers about one vampire striking her fancy…I've denied them, of course, they couldn't be true…"

            "Ouch!" Kagome yelled. "Inu-Yasha, most splinters are near the skin level, not six feet under!"

            "If you can call some of these things splinters," Inu-Yasha shot back. "They're more like miniature stakes of wood." He was glaring down at her hand like he was mad at the splinters or something. Kagome grumbled inwardly to herself.

            Miroku walked in, a cup of hot chocolate in his hand. "Your mom and grandpa are with the doctor," he told Kagome. "From the sound of that medical bill, looks like you aren't going to university any time soon." He set the hot chocolate down on the table beside her. 

            "So what else about Kikyo and her vampire?" Kagome asked interestedly. 

            "Well, Kaede is Kikyo's sister, she would confide in her more than I. The rumors say it was a doomed love…well she died, didn't she? But like I said, they're just rumors. Any vampire who would actually approach Kikyo for love would be very brave—or very suicidal." 

            "Ow!" Kagome cried again. "Inu-Yasha, my hand is going to look like a sieve once you're done with it!" With her free hand she plucked the tweezers from his hand. She gave them to Miroku, who looked at it, then bowed. "As you wish, master," he said seriously.           

            Inu-Yasha stood up, face dark. "Whatever. I'm going." He walked to the curtains and yanked them open. "Hey, Myouga, come out here. I wanna ask you something." Myouga lifted his shoulders and followed Inu-Yasha out of the cubicle, shutting the curtains behind him. Their footsteps faded down the room. 

            "Are you sure Kagome can do this?" Inu-Yasha asked while they walked. "I mean, I've seen her in training, and she's pretty good, but if she took a beating this bad with Naraku's vampires, then how is she going to face the high class ones? You told me she was strong." 

            Myouga put a finger to his chin. "Even the best of the vampire hunters will have trouble when they are outnumbered and without their weapon. That is, after all, how Kikyo met her end. She'll have to carry a collapsible bow from now on, I suppose. 

"Indeed, she is strong, but I think this vampire has paralyzed her more than she knows. He's bitten her twice, once when she was a little kid. He also has her little brother…it was a lot for a little girl to handle. She had nightmares for a month after the incident. Kaede made her drink some herb—probably some less concentrated form of this evil stuff she calls tea—that made her forget. Against other vampires she's almost as good as Kikyo, but this vampire might be her one weakness." Myouga sighed. "I'm wondering whether to put our search for the castle on hold and find this vampire or to continue with the search." 

            His student cut in. "Continue searching for the castle. Kagome said that she wanted to deal with the vampire on her own." 

            "Hmm…for six years she's been molded to become just like Kikyo. She learned her skills and gained her power. Kikyo's pride has apparently also found its way to Kagome. However, Kagome is still learning. She has her weak moments." 

            "She looks just like Kikyo, too…" Inu-Yasha muttered under his breath. 

            Myouga looked over at him. "What was that?" 

            "No, nothing. I saw Kikyo's picture on the wall and noticed how identical they are." 

            "But they are also different. Kikyo did everything coolly and stonily. You felt no emotion coming from her. She smiles, but it would be rare if she laughed. With Kagome, it would be rare if she didn't. Kikyo was flawless in her fights—except for the last. Kagome has been driven by anger, against the Inu-kai and against her own vampire. Her fighting is more passionate, but she will make more mistakes." He let silence pass before continuing. "Inu-Yasha, you must protect her." 

            The younger man jerked up, eyes flashing. "Me? Protect her? She can protect herself! I thought I was going to help overthrow the Inu-kai, not act as a bodyguard!" 

            Myouga winced. "Sometimes Kagome doesn't know how vulnerable she is, Inu-Yasha. You have to watch her." 

            "Vulnerable my ass," Inu-Yasha scoffed. "You know what she did to me on my second day of school?—"

            "Knowing Kagome, it must have been unpleasant, so spare me the details," Myouga interrupted. "Just watch her. I'm not asking you to be her bodyguard or to be so openly obvious about it, since she'd kill us if she found out. Even if you two don't get along…do you?" 

            Inu-Yasha shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "Well, we still fight, but no open hatred," he admitted, gold eyes cast down on the floor 

            "Yes. Well, even if you don't like each other, just look after her. I don't want something like this to happen again. It brings back too many memories of Kikyo…" Myouga shook his head and began walking away, looking slightly lost. 

            His student was still staring at the ground. "I'm sure it does," he replied to himself. "But you don't know the half of it." 

*          *          *

            By the next day, Kagome was out of the hospital in crutches. Two and a half weeks after that (a time in which she was fiercely—and discreetly—guarded by some vampire hunters in the area) she was off the crutches and most of her injuries had healed. Now she carried her collapsible silver bow along with silver tipped arrows in a small duffel bag that she carried everywhere. Inu-Yasha carried his Tetsusaiga in a long narrow kendo sword bag. 

            Miroku lay on the grassy slope beside the school track. Shades covered his eyes, and a little radio blasting out cheerful J-pop tunes sat beside him. On his stomach was an open bag of chips, which he often dipped his hand into.  

            The sun shone down on him, and the ground felt warm under him. _Ah, bliss…_ The day was so peaceful, he could almost fall asleep…

            "Aaaaaaggh!" Thud.

            Miroku groaned inwardly to himself and slowly rose into a sitting position. He very deliberately lifted his sunglasses and rested them on top of his head. "Kagome, _must you be so loud?" he called down towards the track. _

            Kagome was flat on the ground, her face buried in the rubber track. She had removed her crutches the previous day and had bugged Inu-Yasha and Miroku to help her get the use of her legs back. Obviously she should have started walking first, because she was tripping every other minute. 

            Inu-Yasha lifted his eyes to the heavens with a _why me?_ expression on his face and jogged backwards to the fallen Kagome. "I told you to pace yourself and go slower," he reprimanded her as he helped her to her feet. "But no, you just had to try and race me." 

            "It's in my blood," she growled. "And how am I supposed to pace while you zoom off a hundred meters ahead of me, huh?" She brushed off dust from her shorts. "Hmph. Forget it. Sometimes I wonder if you're doing this on purpose." She stormed towards the grassy hill with a very slight limp. 

            He stared after her innocently. "How am I doing this on purpose?" 

            "Back so soon?" Miroku asked, an elbow casually propped up on one knee. "And Kagome, I thought you were training, not collecting track samples with your teeth." Behind her, Inu-Yasha snickered. She gave him a hard nudge with her elbow. 

            She sat down next to Miroku and started undoing the tight strap around her healing ankle. "I'm done for today. Inu-Yasha can torment me some other time." She threw the strap in her duffel bag and stood up. "Coming, Miroku?" 

            Her best friend shook his head. "I've got a date with that girl who needed help when we were jogging. So many things keep happening to you, Kagome, so I keep putting it off with her." 

            Kagome placed her hand over her heart. "That's so sweet, I think I'm going to cry," she said with as much sarcasm as possible. 

            "I'll walk you home," Inu-Yasha offered casually. 

            She rolled her eyes. "Right, because it's on the way to your house." 

            Inu-Yasha looked annoyed. "No, I'll walk you home because I want to. And because you can never go anywhere without being attacked these days," he added quickly at her incredulous look. "Myouga would never forgive me if I get you get all hacked up again—"

            "You said because you wanted to," Kagome said slowly, like she couldn't believe it. "And only a few weeks ago you said, and I quote, 'Like I'd ever walk someone like you home.'" 

            "I'm a witness!" Miroku called out. "I think your personality is rubbing off on him, Kagome. Who knows, you might actually get through a day without snapping at each other's throats." Grinning widely, he slipped his shades back on and settled back down on the grass. 

            The two vampire hunters started off in the direction of their homes. They walked at a slow, leisurely pace, partially because if they went any faster Kagome was sure to trip. (At least that's what Inu-Yasha thought.)

Occasionally their arms would bump, but they were so used to each other's presence that they barely noticed it. For almost a month already they spent most of their days together, what with school and vampire training. 

Barely a day in her life and Inu-Yasha already knew what she'd been doing for the past ten years. It had taken her much longer to decide to tell Miroku about it. Kagome thought about it as they neared her house. She already knew Inu-Yasha's bark was worse than his bite—most of the comebacks and teasing they did to each other was mostly habit. And even after she'd tricked him into going to the girl's locker room and pushed him down the hill, he still saved her twice from the black-haired vampire, Naraku. It took a man with a lot of patience—or some evil ulterior motive—to do that. 

            As Kagome mused over the better qualities of Inu-Yasha her legs hit something and she fell forward, her legs tangled. All she could do was yelp before her knees scraped the ground. It wasn't until she hit hard gravel that she realized the thing that tripped her was long, lean, and had a training shoe attached on the end of it. 

            She looked up to see Inu-Yasha's amused face. All thoughts about his kindness and valor vanished. Kagome growled as she got to her feet. "You'd better have a good excuse, Inu-Yasha, or that telephone pole's going to have your face prints on it soon." 

            "We're at your home, moron." Inu-Yasha jerked his thumb to the right. Kagome saw that they were indeed at the shrine. She reddened. 

            Inu-Yasha shook his head and started walking away. After a few minutes… "Hey, Inu-Yasha!" He stopped when he heard his name. He turned around and saw Kagome smiling almost tentatively. "I don't think I remembered thanking you for…y'know, saving me," she said. "I would have been screwed back there—or worse, married off to Naraku." 

            He shrugged. "No prob." Swinging his duffel bag over his shoulder, he continued walking. "Tomorrow's a weekend—think you can stay out of trouble for a few days, little Kagome-chan?"

            "Argh! I hate it when you do that!" In an action that attempted to prove her maturity, Kagome stuck her tongue out at the retreating figure. Then she stormed into the shrine. 

            Inu-Yasha just laughed, then wondered how many times her antics had made him smile. This was the girl he'd sworn to stay away from. And yet it looked like that wasn't going to happen.

*          *          *

            Naraku sat in his throne like a king, his fist resting on his knee, his chin on his fist. By now Kagome should have been in his arms, as his bride, as his queen.

            She'd grown wonderfully since the first time he saw her—he knew she would look like Kikyo, he'd had the resemblance even during her childhood. And something in her eyes—some defiance, or strength—had made him look at her twice. 

            Kagome would still be his. Although her powers had surprised him at first, she was no match for Naraku. Oh, maybe if she hadn't known him then she would've put up a good fight. But his presence frightened her, and he knew it. He paralyzed her, and as long as he kept the fear going, and as long as he still had Souta, he would always be stronger. 

            It was time to try again. Souta needed a companion—he himself needed a companion. Naraku snapped his fingers, and instantly two vampires appeared.            

            "Yes master?" they asked, getting down on their knees. 

            "You incompetent fools better not mess up this time," Naraku said in a bored tone. "I don't care if Inu-Yasha's there, you bring me Kagome. You better not laze around…two weeks ago you could have had her, but you waited for Inu-Yasha to come and save her. Soon I will send you scour the city for her, and capture her. Fight her if necessary. You should be ready any time I summon you." They bowed. "What are you waiting for? Get out of here." They bowed again and vanished. 

            How could he get rid of Inu-Yasha? Naraku settled back in his chair and thought. Then the idea hit him, and a small smile touched his face. Somewhere in the castle Souta cried out for Kagome. 

            Naraku stood up. It was important for Inu-Yasha to step out of the picture, and he knew just how. "I fear Inu-Yasha will get closer to her heart before I do," he murmured softly. "Why not? He's done it before." 

            But not this time. No, Inu-Yasha would never get that second chance.


	7. Porcelain Memories

            AN: Okay, this chapter might seem a bit weird in the beginning, because I had a cold when I wrote it, and I was a wee bit delirious, hee hee. Uhm, to **Silver Dragon 2488**, Inu-Yasha isn't just your average Joe, and he's not a youkai either. He's like Kagome, a vampire hunter. And to **Final Spirit, **thanx for the idea, but I've got big plans for Miroku *evil chuckle*. He'll have his own chance to play hero when Sango's in the story (which isn't for another few chapters). And about those good vampires…we'll see. Man, I'm glad Kagome and Inu-Yasha are buddies now! *Phew* It was really hard making them be friends first. Enjoy this chapter (which I kinda like, for some weird reason. Maybe it's the ending.) 

Porcelain Memories

            Kagome fitted an arrow into her steel bow, not her collapsible one, and aimed at the figure rushing towards her. She calmly released the arrow, letting it slice the air and pierce her opponent's chest. 

            The figure reeled back, gasping. Wide golden eyes raised to meet her cold brown ones. With a choke, he fell backward onto the ground, the arrow exactly perpendicular to the floor. 

            "Kagome…why? Why did you kill me?" Inu-Yasha whispered, then groaned and closed his eyes. 

            Kagome rolled her eyes and walked over to him. She bent over his limp, moaning form and plucked out the suctioned-tipped arrow that had flown into Inu-Yasha's chest guard. "You're such a doofus sometimes," she said, bonking him on the head with it. 

            "Your heart…is as cold as ice…" Inu-Yasha rolled over so he was facedown on the ground. "Just leave me to die, traitor." 

            She stood there for awhile, gazing down at the motionless figure. Then she reached behind her and felt for an arrow tip that wasn't rubber. When she located a silver arrow, she fitted it to her arrow and aimed it straight at Inu-Yasha. 

            "Hey, Inu-Yasha! Smile!" 

He turned around to look at her. "Aaagggh!" He scrambled to his feet, trying to run out of the way. Kagome kept her arrow pointed at him as he ran around Myouga's dojo, yelling he was sorry. Then, when he was near the door, and knowing he would dodge it easily, Kagome snickered evilly and loosed the arrow. 

            It soared through the air and as expected Inu-Yasha ducked. It flew through the open door and out of sight. A few seconds later came a bloodcurdling scream. Then a thud. Then nothing.

            The color flowed out of Kagome's face. Inu-Yasha too looked shocked. "Oh my god, Kagome, you hit someone," he whispered.

            "You don't say!" she shrieked. "Oh my god, I hit someone! Inu-Yasha you have to hide me—" 

            "No! This is your crime! I am a witness!" He tried to fight off Kagome as she ran to hide behind him. "No! No! You'll make things look fishy! Leave me be, woman!" 

            "What's going on here?" Miroku demanded, poking his head into the room. Kagome took one look at him and screamed as loud as she could, the walls trembling with the volume. There was an arrow that had gone straight through his forehead. She sank slowly to the ground, her arms still clinging around Inu-Yasha's legs. 

            Miroku grinned as his best friend seemed to be having a heart attack right there on the dojo floor. "Oh, hey, Kagome. Like my new hat?" He grabbed the tail of the arrow and lifted it off his head. He'd done one of the oldest pranks in the book—the bent arrow-went-through-my-head prank. 

            Inu-Yasha laughed as Miroku bowed, saying thank you, thank you very much Elvis Presley style. "Hah hah, I knew that was a joke," he snickered. 

            "Sure, which is why you're trembling like a leaf," Kagome said snippily. They all looked down and saw Inu-Yasha's knees quivering. "Miroku! That was _not_ funny. Where'd my other arrow go?" 

            "Hit the wall a few feet down. It was the right timing, though, since I'd just been to the joke shop to buy my new headgear. But that scream was real—your arrow wasn't too far off my nose," Miroku said, slipping his headgear back on. 

            Kagome stood up and hit Inu-Yasha's shoulder. "Inu-Yasha. Go get it."   

            "What? Why me?"

            "Because you started it. Go get it." 

            "I did not—" But Kagome shoved him and he stumbled out the door. "Fine," he grumbled, stomping off in search for an arrow on the wall.         

            "Kagome, I've got some more arrows I've sharpened," Myouga called out, entering the dojo. Kaede followed, also holding a tied up cluster of arrows. When she saw Miroku, she screamed and dropped them. 

            "It's fake, it's fake!" Miroku said hurriedly, quickly removing the fake arrow as evidence. "I'm sorry, please don't get a heart attack!"

            "How old do you think I am?" Kaede snapped, a hand over her heaving heart. "You just gave me a damn good scare…" Kagome looked slightly startled to hear Kaede swear, but then nothing was going right today anyway. 

            "How's the training going?" Myouga asked Kagome, handed over his arrows. 

            She shrugged. "Inu-Yasha seems to be allergic to suction-cupped arrows…we'll have to use the regular ones from now on." Myouga looked confused, then dismissed it as Kagome chuckled evilly. It was just the normal rivalry…hopefully. 

            From outside a loud, "Ow!" rang through the hall. Kagome rushed outside, wanting to see what sort of accident had happened this time. 

            Inu-Yasha was standing across the arrow, clutching his hand like something had burned him. Kagome ran up beside him. "What happened?" He glared down at her. "Nothing." Kagome grabbed his hand and tilted it upwards. Across the backs of his fingers a red welt was forming. "Okay, so the arrow tip was a bit sharp, and I grabbed too tightly." 

            "Why'd you grab the tip, silly?" Kagome reached over and pulled on the handle. "Oh, I see, it's wedged in deep." Her fingers worked at the metal tip and she twisted the arrow back and forth to dislodge it.  

            Myouga peered curiously at Inu-Yasha's wound. "Strange how it's not bleeding if it were sharp," he mused to himself. Inu-Yasha saw Myouga looking and quickly stuffed his hand into his pocket. "I have to go," he said. "We can continue training next time." 

            Kagome put her hands on her hips. "Go?" she repeated. "We've barely even started."

            "Look, I have to start packing for my soccer camp retreat," Inu-Yasha said. After the varsity competition, it was tradition for the teams to go on weekend retreats and play their sport and reflect on the competition. Kagome wasn't going on hers because she was to start training with some of the other vampire hunters. 

            "Since when do guys need an entire day to pack?" Kagome demanded, following him as he walked down the hall towards the door.  Inu-Yasha didn't answer her. 

            Myouga frowned thoughtfully. Then he reached over to a little table that held picture frames and other sorts of trinkets (Kaede loved them) and picked up a little silver cat figurine. "Hey, Inu-Yasha, put this on that table beside the door before you leave, will you?" And he threw the cat in the air. 

            Out of reflex Inu-Yasha caught it. Immediately after he yelped in pain and practically threw the cat onto the table. He looked up and saw everyone's confused faces. "Heh heh…Myouga you've got a strong throw…really should consider pitching for baseball or something…gotta rush!" Quickly he opened the door and slipped through it.  

            "Honestly!" Kagome muttered, turning to head back into the dojo room. "You know, his behavior was strange…as if he were hiding something…"

            Myouga's gaze slid sideways to Kagome, to see if she'd noticed it as well.

            She snapped her fingers. "Hah! I know! I bet he didn't even need to pack! I bet he's got a date with one of those dumb cheerleaders! Well, he'll get the stuffing beat outta him when he comes back here…"

            Her master shook his head and pushed Kagome to keep walking. Besides, it was only a suspicion, and Kagome had proved what could happen when you acted on a suspicion. 

*          *          *

            Kagome was nervous, but she wasn't going to admit it out loud. It was Friday night, the first day of her training session with Myouga's partners. It wasn't so much a training session as it was an evaluation period. The others wanted to see the girl Myouga had boasted of, to replace Kikyo and attain her revenge. They wanted to know if she could really live up to such a reputation.

            Unlike Myouga and Kaede's simple house and dojo, his vampire hunter friends lived in grand mansions just at the edge of the city. Kagome wondered where they got their money, unless they looted the vaults of the vampires they killed. It was already becoming dark—soft rain fell, sending little rivers rushing down the huge window panes. 

            She was sitting in a large room like an office, in a chair. Myouga was sitting on a sofa with a tall woman with short brown hair. The way her cool eyes studied Kagome made even more squeamish—this woman looked like she'd have no problem killing vampires that ambushed her while she was running cross-country. 

            Standing behind the sofa was a tall (why were they all _tall?!) grinning man with blue hair. It was spiked up like the bracelets and necklace he wore. He looked like a punk rocker, but Kagome knew his silver spikes served another purpose—no vampire could strangle him or hold him down for long without getting skewered and burned at the same time. _

            If she had to go up against these two, she was retiring and letting Inu-Yasha take care of the revenge stuff.           

            "Are you going to eat?" the sudden voice of the brown haired woman made Kagome jump. She looked down at the coffee table, where there were trays of cakes and other pastries. Her stomach did a flip. "No, thanks, I'm not hungry," she replied. 

            "Then shall we begin?" 

            "Actually I'm famished," Kagome said without missing a beat. She grabbed a slice of chocolate cake and forced herself to nibble at it. 

            The blue-haired man laughed heartily. "You don't have to look so scared, you know. We only want to see your level of fighting." But the expression in his light eyes said otherwise—the worry that Kagome would not be able to overcome her fear and fight. 

            _Easier said than done, _Kagome thought, scowling. Silence in the room settled again. It seemed to be biting into her shoulders. Finally she asked, "So what are your names?" 

            "Oh, forgive us," the woman said, and cracked the first smile Kagome had seen out of her. "I'm known as Falcon. He is Takada. In the vampire world he's known as the Blue Lightning, but we would never call him anything that corny." 

            "And sometimes my hair's pink," Takada added. The goofy grin that followed would have made Kagome smile, if the crumbs of chocolate cake she'd nibbled weren't threatening to come out the way they came in. 

            _What the hell, Kagome, just get it over with, you've trained for six years, you can't be that bad, _she told herself, swallowing nervously. _And how can you fight the Inu-kai if you can't even fight these two? "I'm done," she said, and her stomach objected with a violent lurch. "Let's get this over with." _

            "That's the spirit!" Takada cheered. "Come on, let's go to the training room, it's already been set up." He walked over to her, grabbed her arm, and began pulling her to towards the door. 

            As Kagome very unwillingly followed, she heard Falcon say to Myouga softly behind her, "From what I've seen of Kikyo's pictures, she _does _resemble the legend amazingly. Physically, at least." 

            "You'll see. She's been granted the power. She'll complete Kikyo's job," Myouga said confidently. 

            Kagome closed her eyes. _And reclaim Souta, too. And kick Naraku's ass. God, how did Kikyo manage it?_

*          *          *

            Their training room was just as big as Myouga's dojo. On one side of the wall was a sword rack, full of blades of different sizes and styles. Maces and axes hung on large hooks on another wall, and there were chains with spiked ball tips casually draped across the room. 

            Suddenly Kagome felt like she'd entered a battlefield carrying one of those tiny water pistols. She looked down at her steel bow, thought of the suction-tipped arrows strapped to her back, and knew she was dead.  

            She walked to the center of the room, still absorbing her surroundings. Then she looked back to the door, where the three adults were gathered. "So, which of you am I facing first?" 

            Takada was just wrapping a strip of white cloth over his fists. Falcon was examining a blade. "Guys?" Kagome asked again. Takada and Falcon looked at each other, and at the same time ran towards Kagome with lightning speed. 

            They crossed to her in the blink of an eye, and Kagome barely had time to lift her bow in defense as Falcon brought her sword down. The force of the sword made Kagome's arms quiver. As her arms were up, Takada ducked under Falcon and thrust his leg out. In the nick of time Kagome pushed herself away from the two, and flipped backwards. 

            _Oh my god, they're attacking me at the same time! _For a brief moment Kagome allowed panic to rush through her. During that moment, Falcon slapped her face with the flat end of her blade. Two parallel slits glowed red against her cheek, where the sharp ends had pressed. Kagome moved backwards again and forced the panic down. _Be calm, like Kikyo…they are the enemy…they're hurting _you, for god's sake. _Quickly Kagome grabbed an arrow and loosed it at Falcon. The woman knocked it away with her sword. _

            Takada suddenly appeared and threw a punch. Kagome ducked and kicked at his stomach. It felt hard as rock, and he only took a few steps backward. _Pretend they are Naraku…_she kept telling herself as she blocked his fist with her bow. _Pretend they're Inu-kai…pretend they're coming after your brother…_

            Her eyes blazed. Falcon rushed towards her, sword outstretched. Kagome jumped over the blade as it swung sideways and rushed towards Takada. She threw her steel bow over his shoulders, so that his arms were momentarily trapped. To distract Falcon just for awhile, Kagome grabbed the stake in her pocket and hurled it at the woman. She barely missed it. 

            Kagome was ready to kick ass. 

*          *          *

            Half an hour later, the training room looked like a full scale war had occurred in there. Some axes were now lying on the floor, their handles broken. Several swords had been snatched from the fight during the match, and Kagome had shown them her fencing skills, which weren't as good as Inu-Yasha's but enough for Falcon and Takada. By purifying the blade, it made the blade stronger and nearly knocked Falcon's arm off whenever their swords made contact. Dozens of suction-tipped arrows were lying all over the floor. At a corner, Kagome's steel bow had been snapped in half like wood by Takada, after she'd thrown the bow over him a second time. 

            Now Takada and Falcon were standing on one side of the room, Kagome another. Takada had a bruise on his face and a gash across his stomach from another of Kagome's stakes. Falcon was also bruised, and her limbs were laced with cuts.

Kagome had a gash across her arm from where Falcon had struck. Takada had also slammed her in the chest.  She held one of the ball-tipped chains coiled around her arm. Both sides were panting heavily. 

            Kagome shut her eyes and sent her power to the silver chains, purifying it. Now it would obey her even with her slightest touch. 

            She was no longer afraid—she knew she could take them on…they knew much more than she did but she could still take them on…

            When she opened her eyes, both of them were near her. Kagome lashed out with the chains, and one end of the chains hit Falcon. She tripped over them, the chains slicing her side. As Kagome called the chains back, they wrapped around Takada, tying his arms to his sides like her bow had done. With a hard tug she set him flying to the ground. One arm held strong to the chains as Takada struggled with them, and another reached down to pick up a discarded thin sword. With a furious stamp she cut the blade in half. As Falcon got her feet, Kagome quickly tied the blade to her end of the chain, purifying it at the same time. By the time Falcon faced her, Kagome was holding the bladed end in one hand and a coil of ready to be unleashed chains in the other. If Falcon took one step, Kagome could send the blade flying into her.

            They looked into each other's eyes. Then Falcon smiled wryly and nodded her head. "You'll do," she said. 

            From the door of the room, where Myouga had been watching, came applause. "I knew you could do it, Kagome! You took both of them on! They're some of the best out there, you know." 

            "Yay," was all Kagome said, and slumped to the floor. 

            After some water had been splashed on her face, and Takada had been untangled from the chains, he and Kagome were able to drag themselves back to the room where they first met. Food had been laid out, and this time Kagome could eat—a lot. She and Takada wolfed it down while Falcon sipped her wine calmly. 

            As servants flitted around bandaging whatever cuts they had, Falcon asked Kagome, "Do you know how to sense an enemy's presence without sight?" 

            "No," Kagome replied. "Didn't know that was possible."

            "I thought so. Often you didn't know that we were behind you until we were extremely close. We ought to teach you how to sense your enemies so that they're present in the dark. Vampires can smell hunters, you don't want to give them an advantage, do you? With your power, I'd say you'd be able to learn it in two days." Falcon looked at Kagome over her tea. "And there's another thing we need to talk about." 

            Kagome was sparring Takada for the last miniature club sandwich with her plastic fork. "Which is?" she asked, finally skewering Takada's wrist and snatching the food away. All Takada could do was clutch his blue head and moan, "She's the same with food and the battlefield…"

            "There's another reason why you have to go back and fight the Inu-kai," Falcon said. Kagome raised her eyebrow and looked at Myouga. He was grave, and gestured for her to keep listening to Falcon. "Around fifty years ago, Kikyo, Myouga and my parents stormed the Inu-kai castle. Back then, it was fixed in the human realm, easy to find by anyone. They were ready to kill this powerful clan, but there was also another reason. Before any of them were born, and that was a _long time ago—don't look at me like that, Myouga, you know it's true—the Inu-kai had stolen the Shikon no Tama. Do you know what that is?" _

             "No…"

            "It's a powerful jewel, which can be purified or tainted and give the user extreme power. It has enough power to turn a vampire human, which is impossible otherwise. In the hands of vampires, it could be very dangerous, although they hadn't used it yet. The vampire hunters of that time couldn't even attempt to retrieve the jewel, since there was no way of purifying it." 

            "When Kikyo first heard of the jewel, she was driven trying to get it. She told me she needed the jewel, to get it away from the Inu-kai. With her powers, she could purify the jewel so it was clean again. But it seemed to me she wanted it for something else…" For a moment Myouga seemed lost in thought. After Takada prodded him with his plastic fork, his eyes cleared and he continued. "Anyway that is the reason why we fought the Inu-kai. Kikyo had managed to retrieve the jewel and cast a very strong purifying spell over it, so strong that she was drained of practically all her power. I think that was why they were able to catch her so easily." His voice caught. "The last time I saw her she still had the jewel around her neck, glowing white. I don't think they could break such a spell so easily." 

            Kagome nodded thoughtfully. "So the jewel is still with the Inu-kai?" 

            "We need you to avenge Kikyo and retrieve the jewel. Kikyo wanted it desperately, and part of her revenge is to take back what she wanted. Do you think you can do that, Kagome?" Takada asked. 

            Great…as if just killing the Inu-kai, killing Naraku, and retrieving Souta wasn't enough, now she had to find some jewel and come back alive. Kagome gulped. But she knew that her priority was Kikyo, not Souta. As much as it pained her to think it, she knew Myouga trained her specifically for Kikyo's revenge. He and Kaede had saved her from bleeding to death, and made her this strong. She owed it to them. 

            "Of course," she said, resisting the urge to bawl like a baby. 

*          *          *

            "Shikon no Tama, huh?" Inu-Yasha asked. He and Kagome were walking casually down a street full of shops, dusk already falling. "You're going to have to try and get that?" Kagome nodded gloomily. "I heard it can transform vampires into humans." 

            "Tell me something I don't know," she said in a despondent voice. "I thought all I had to do was go in there and kick vampire ass, now I actually have a mission? Geez." 

            "Poor baby," Inu-Yasha snickered. "Well, it's okay, you have me to save you. Or maybe not. Myouga told me you kicked serious ass this weekend. Why can't you be that good when Naraku is concerned, huh?" 

            Kagome pinched his arm. "It's called psychological trauma," she said. "And it probably won't happen again. I don't want it to. I'm going to kick Naraku's ass."

            "Of course you will, Kagome-chan," he responded automatically. Kagome growled and tried unsuccessfully to give him a noogie. 

            It was getting dark quickly. They walked a few blocks in silence, staring casually in store windows. Suddenly Kagome remembered Myoug saying that Inu-Yasha had skipped the soccer retreat. "Hey, how come you didn't go on the retreat?" 

            He looked down at her. "Hmm? You mean the soccer one? I was sick to my stomach over the weekend. I'd give you the details, but it's major gore. Think of dysentery times two…" 

            "Eww! I bet that wasn't it at all!" Kagome stuck out her tongue. "I bet you weren't sick at all. I bet you went on a date or something with one of those bimbos. Or Yura." She shuddered. 

            Inu-Yasha shuddered as well. There was no thinking what Yura might do on a date…maybe drug him and shave all his head off. "Please, you'd have to rip my limbs off to get me to date either of them. Besides, I wasn't on a _date. I wasn't feeling well." __At least that's the partial truth.  _

            She grinned and poked him. "Are you telling me you've _never dated? Come on, you had to at least once. Even Miroku's gone out a few times, and lord knows what kind of a person he is around girls. Any special girls in your life? Or did your big magical sword scare them away?" _

            He scowled and brushed her arm off. "I think I liked it better when we didn't act all chummy, it was less bothersome. You were less nosy." But Kagome pressed on. They must have walked two whole blocks with Kagome bugging him incessantly. Finally he stopped walking and turned on her. "So you want to know about my love life?" 

            "Or lack thereof," she said with an evil grin. Realizing that she might have lost her only chance to make Inu-Yasha the Scowler/Glarer open up, she said quickly, "I'm sorry. Please tell me." 

            "Fine." Inu-Yasha held up one finger. "One woman. One year. Ended pretty ugly. And that's all you're going to know." 

            "But—" Kagome started, but Inu-Yasha brought his finger down on her lips. She frowned and crossed her arms, resisting the urge to childishly lick his finger to gross him out. She could do that with Miroku, since he always shouted "Gross!" and took his finger away when he tried to shut her up. Besides, she wasn't a child anymore. 

            Finally he took his finger away. Kagome stuck her tongue out impishly, and they continued walking. Sneaking a glance at Inu-Yasha's face, Kagome saw his eyes looked stormy. _Maybe talking about his past love life wasn't a good idea, she thought. It seemed to bring back bad memories for him. _

            Those thoughts flew out of her mind, however, when she peeked into a store window and saw a small object in the center of the other little trinkets. "Oh! Look at that!" She held out a hand to stop Inu-Yasha and crouched down to peer through the window. 

            It was a small porcelain figure of two children walking cheerfully through a field of flowers. There was a girl, who looked about nine or ten, with shoulder length black hair and thick bangs. Her dress was pink and sparkled with diamonds. Her delicate white hand was clutching a little boy's, who looked about four. His blue sailor shirt was dusted with sapphires.The expressions on their faces, carefully painted, were happy and carefree. The flowers they walked on were sprinkled with semi precious stones. 

            Inu-Yasha looked at the figure, then looked at Kagome. She looked completely enraptured by the sight, and her eyes were shining. 

            An old man came out of the store. "Hey there. I see you're admiring the prize of my shop. Isn't it a beauty? I made it myself." 

            "Did you really?" Inu-Yasha thought he heard Kagome's voice cracking. 

            "Yeah. Got the inspiration for that maybe six years ago. The kids didn't know they were modeling for me, though. Bet they'd be grown by now. They used to walk down this street every afternoon…then kinda disappeared. Don't know where they are now, but I'd sure like to know." 

            "How much is it?" Kagome asked. 

            He named a price practically large enough to buy New York. Both their jaws dropped, but the old man explained that the jewels and craftsmanship were worth a lot. 

            For the second time, Inu-Yasha saw Kagome cry. A tear slipped down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away. It didn't take a genius to figure out who those two kids were. Instead of telling the old man her identity, Kagome just bowed deeply and walked away quickly. 

            "Uhm, she's scarily emotional," Inu-Yasha said hurriedly to the man. "Kagome, wait!" He ran after her. 

            She stopped crying when they stopped in a coffee shop for dinner. Inu-Yasha went and ordered their food. They'd had enough of after-training dinners that he knew what she wanted. He got their food and carried it over to their table. 

            "I just remembered…this was one of the streets we used to walk on the way home from school," Kagome said. "It was just kinda sad to see that image of us again…but I don't want to mope about it." But the way she pushed the straw of her macchiato around and nibbled at her cheesecake when normally she could fit in two told Inu-Yasha she was still obviously upset about it. 

            It disturbed Inu-Yasha slightly how he could see all these aspects of Kagome. No one but Miroku had probably seen her like this, and they'd known each other forever. But he'd barely known her some months and already he'd seen her strong, weak, happy, sad. She was so open to him, and yet he still couldn't bring himself to trust her with his own secrets. Somehow he felt that once the secret was out, he was going to fall—hard. 

            _Enough guilt, you've spent the last six years feeling guilty, _he told himself. Abruptly he stood up. "I have to go do something," he told Kagome. "Just wait for me outside when you're done." She nodded silently. 

            Inu-Yasha left the talkative coffeehouse into the quieter streets. The cool air helped clear his head somewhat, blowing some guilt away. _I have do to something, _he thought to himself as paced around.

            Then it clicked. He knew just what to do. 

*          *          *

            Kagome waited outside the coffeeshop. Inu-Yasha had been gone for about twenty minutes. She needed to head home. She scanned the area once more, and relaxed when she saw him running towards her, his long black hair flowing messily about his face. He stopped in front of her and crouched down, panting heavily. 

            "Inu-Yasha! Where the heck did you go! Did you fight some vampires without me?" Kagome crossed her arms. "What, so now am I completely incapable of fighting my own fights?" 

            She stopped when Inu-Yasha stood and held out a tiny porcelain figure enclosed in his hands. Kagome's jaw dropped. Inu-Yasha slowly uncurled his fingers to show Kagome and Souta walking together, immortalized in porcelain. 

            "Inu-Yasha…you didn't pay for that, did you?" she whispered. If he did, she was screwed. She would be forever in his debt to repay him for _that_. And there was no way she was going to be in debt to Inu-Yasha.

            "That man…drives a hard…bargain," Inu-Yasha said through breaths. His cheeks were flushed. "Can you imagine? He only gave it to me when I promised I'd find him his models." 

            Kagome gaped at him. "You did that?" she asked. 

            "Yeah, I know. Especially since you're such a sucky fighter, I thought he'd never ever see his models. So guess you gotta work extra hard if you want to keep this," Inu-Yasha said nonchalantly. Carefully he settled it in Kagome's limp hands. 

            She stared at it for a moment, her eyes lit by the sparkling jewels. Without another word she threw her arms tightly around Inu-Yasha, careful to keep a hold on the figurine. Aside from Inu-Yasha carrying her when she'd been defeated or the several death grips she'd inflicted on his neck/arm/waist, they'd never hugged before. And now Kagome had her arms around his neck, crying for the third time. After awhile Inu-Yasha slowly wrapped his own arms around her waist. 

            Those days where Kagome made Inu-Yasha's school days a living hell were history…at least he hoped so. 

            "Thank you," she said simply through her tears. She took a step back. "Thank you."

            Inu-Yasha was suddenly reminded of a time long ago, when a woman had looked up at him with tears coursing down her face. What had he done that time? He'd been so shocked when her icy exterior had finally broken…he closed his eyes. What did he do?

            That's right…he'd dried her tears. Inu-Yasha moved towards Kagome's face. His lips touched her eyelid. 

            Kagome was so stunned she stopped crying. "Inu-Yasha?" 

            In a world of his own, a world that mostly involved the past, Inu-Yasha's lips traveled down her cheeks, taking up the moisture of her tears. The way they pressed against her skin to soak up her tears seemed almost like a kiss, and yet not quite. Kagome didn't move, she was frozen with shock. Millions of thoughts raced through her head like a supercomputer, but unlike one of those, they made absolutely no sense. Like she knew how one of those worked anyway.

            Once, when his lips were against her cheek, she could almost hear him whisper something, sort of like, "Don't cry, K…" but that last word had ended in a breath. 

            Inu-Yasha only realized what he was doing when his lips were dangerously close to hers. Quickly he drew back. His own amber eyes looked as stunned as Kagome's. "Sorry," he said. Nervously he licked his lips—they tasted salty. "Well, at least your face is dry," he defended himself. 

            "Why?" her dry lips voiced the question. 

            He fidgeted. "Dunno…I guess it just sucks to see you cry." He was blushing.

            Kagome shook her head, and fire seeped into her eyes. "You…Inu-_Yashaaa__…!" _

            His eyes widened. Kagome seemed more embarrassed than angry, but with the way she was glaring at him, he wasn't so sure. Perhaps it would be best to run. 

            "Hey, I got you your figurine!" He yelled over his shoulder as they ran through the streets. "You know, bargaining, cajoling, and ass-kissing? Think mental exhaustion here!" 

            "You…you…!" she shouted at him. He never found out what he was, because Kagome jumped into the air and latched onto his back. "Oh my god, what was that all about, huh?" Kagome held a viselike grip around his neck. The blush in her cheeks was furiously red. "Inu-Yasha! You have so much explaining to do! What was with all that? Answer meeeeee!" 

            Such and such, all the way home. 


	8. Pressure On All Sides

            AN: Right, I know I said one week at the latest, but I've been busy…sitting on my butt my whole dang summer. Okay, you caught me! I went into one of those slumps where you think "Why am I writing this? What is the purpose?" And you wander around aimlessly wondering about the meaning of life and the purpose of lint that clings to your sweaters....you know the feeling. But I wrote the chapter! Yay! Depression Slump #261 is over! ^_^ Right…I'll stop babbling and upload this fic. Enjoy! 

Pressure on All Sides

            There were vampires all around him. Inu-Yasha snarled and swung his Tetsusaiga in front of him. The force it had was enough to wipe out vampires ten meters around him. But still they swarmed, fangs bared, trying to sink them in his skin. The Tetsusaiga could deal with large numbers of vampires, but it would wipe out his strength that he needed to fight Naraku. Now he knew how Kagome felt when she'd been cornered by those vampires…

            Kagome! Inu-Yasha suddenly stopped. How was she doing? With a sudden burst of strength he lashed out with the Tetsusaiga and cleared a path through the swarm. Inu-Yasha ran through and scanned the room. 

            She was across the room from him, firing out arrows at rapid speed. But even she was getting tired. Inu-Yasha wanted to run towards her, but then he stopped. Something was wrong. He reached up and grabbed a fistful of long hair and looked at it. It was silver. Inu-Yasha looked at his reflection in the sword and his amber eyes widened. 

            Something cold touched his throat, and he looked up. The silver tip of Kagome's arrow was nestled under his chin, her bow drawn. Her eyes looked furious. She was mouthing something, but no voice came from her lips. Inu-Yasha squinted to read her lips. "She conned you, dumbass," she was saying. What? That didn't make sense. 

            Or maybe it did. But how would _Kagome know that?! _

            Suddenly a sword pierced Kagome's side—with quicksilver speed Inu-Yasha ducked, so that when Kagome released the arrow it whizzed through his curtain of hair. Her lips open in a silent scream, she fell to her side, her hair covering her face. 

            Menacing laughter filled the air. He glanced up and saw Naraku, a victorious look on her face. He pointed at Kagome and laughed harder. 

            Inu-Yasha scrambled to Kagome and wrapped her protectively in his arms. He didn't know who'd killed her, but there was no way Naraku was having her! He was aware of her chest against his, and how he didn't feel it rise, felt no breath come from her nostrils, heard nothing from her heart. Almost tenderly he pushed back the hair from her pale face…

            And found that she was not Kagome. 

*          *          *

            The sound of Naraku's hysterical laughter faded as Inu-Yasha jolted up from bed. He was covered in a light layer of sweat and breathing heavily, as if he'd gone out on a jog. His black hair stuck to the back of his white shirt. 

            _God, what a strange dream…_Inu-Yasha rubbed his temple with his fingers. He noticed his hand was trembling. _What the hell does it mean? _

            He'd been fighting in a room against a whole storm of vampires. Then he gets silver hair. Then he tries to help Kagome, but she turns on him and mouths, "She conned you, dumbass." Then sometime kills her and Naraku laughs, and he hugs her and finds out she's not _her. _

            Maybe he shouldn't have eaten that leftover pizza last night. 

            Inu-Yasha groaned and flopped back on his bed. He buried his head under his pillows. If Kagome was now turning up in his dreams, then things were really going for the worse. He squeezed his eyes shut and thought of sheep, ice cream, Playboy, _anything to get his mind off the present—and the past. Why on earth would he have such a strange dream. _

            Suddenly he shot up again, his eyes wide. It couldn't be _that time yet…he'd just had it! But all the symptoms were there…_

            Oh, shit.

*          *          *

            "Monty Python?" Kaede asked. "What on earth is that?" 

            "It's a British comedy group that makes the funniest movies on the planet," Myouga replied. "I have two tickets here for a re-release of Monty Python and the Holy Grail tonight, if you'd like them." 

            Kaede snorted. "Tonight's my weekly bridge meeting with the ladies. It's one of the few days I don't have to be making silver arrows. Why don't you use them?" 

            Myouga suddenly looked excited. "For the past few nights after out search, Takada and Falcon are claiming they can see the blurred outline of the black castle popping up in different places. I think our search is nearing a close."

            "Myouga!" Kaede looked shocked. "You aren't serious? Do you think Kagome's ready?" 

            "Positive. As you know, I've had Kagome fighting the other vampire slayers of my skill for the past week—she wipes the floor with them, especially now that her powers have increased. And we have Inu-Yasha too—just think, Kikyo's revenge is so close at hand…"

            Kaede looked down, trying to still the tears. "So you're going to search tonight?" 

            He nodded. "But it would be a waste to throw away these tickets…" 

            The door to their house burst open. "Oy, Kaede!" Inu-Yasha yelled from the kitchen. "Is this pot full? I'm gonna have some tea, okay?" 

            "Help yourself!" Kaede beamed. Myouga immediately sprang into action—he shot down the stairs and snatched the cup from Inu-Yasha just as he was about to sip. "What are you trying to do, kill yourself?" he scolded his student. 

            Inu-Yasha scowled. "I had a bad dream that I'd rather forget, and I'm figuring Kaede's tea is probably a safer way than prescription pills." 

            "That's what you think." Myouga tried to throw the tea down the sink, but Kaede whapped him on the head with a spatula. "Enough, Myouga! If Inu-Yasha wants to drink my tea, then let him! At least someone knows good tea when he sees it." 

            Myoua grumbled as a big lump formed on his temple. "Fine. But if the boy dies the whole vampire hunter community will have your blood." He paused and thought about the irony of his sentence. 

            Inu-Yasha took a few sips and squeezed his eyes shut. For awhile he just stood there, as if fighting an internal battle. Then he opened his eyes and smiled. "Phew, that really worked." He coughed once and set the cup down. "Thanks, see ya." He turned to go.

            "Wait! Inu-Yasha!" Myouga called out. "Do you like Monty Python?" 

            Inu-Yasha snickered. "Who doesn't?" Myouga scampered over to him and slapped the two tickets in his hand. "Take 'em, none of us can use it. Tell Kagome there's no training today, something else has come up. In fact, ask Kagome if she wants to go with you. She loves Monty Python." 

            "Right." Inu-Yasha slipped out the door. He looked at the two tickets in his hand, and shoved them in his pocket. Since the night he'd bought her that figurine, they hadn't talked about what he'd done. Inu-Yasha couldn't confront her or ask her what she thought of it, since he was confused enough about it himself. He still couldn't believe he'd done that. Maybe that was why he was dreaming of Kagome. Besides, like he was really going to ask Kagome after a hella-scary dream like _that… _

*          *          *

            "Can't. I have to clean my landlady's floor if I still want to live there. It takes off a quarter of my rent," Miroku said as they waited for Kagome to get their food. Normally it was the girl who sat at the table and waited for the guys to bring it over, but Kagome had kept changing her mind and screwed up their orders, so as punishment she had to go get their food. "Besides, it's strange for two guys to watch a movie together. Strange for me, anyway. I've never sat next to anyone in a movie theater who didn't have breasts." 

            "For crying out loud, Miroku, it's Monty Python, not Shakespeare in Love. Unless you get all touchy-feely when you see a killer rabbit mangle Arthur's men," Inu-Yasha muttered. 

            Kagome returned with a tray of their fast food. They were sitting in the food court of the mall. "Double cheeseburger, fries, and soda," she announced, unloading the tray. Miroku took the said food and began to chow down. "Big Mac, fries, and soda…that's me." With some hesitance, she lifted up a quite soggy-looking wrapped burger. "Uhm…really really really rare hamburger?" 

            "Me," Inu-Yasha said, as if none of them had guessed. He took the burger from her and began unwrapping it. "Yum." 

            Miroku cleared his throat. "Uhm, Inu-Yasha, if you hadn't guessed, that burger looks too rare to be good, excuse the pun. You could get salmonella or some other nasty disease." 

            Kagome had lifted the bun off his burger and was prodding it with a fork. "Eww, if you press down on it there's still blood that oozes out!" She stuck out her tongue. "No wonder the guy behind the counter asked if you had insurance. How can you eat that?" 

            To demonstrate, Inu-Yasha took a big bite and started chewing. Kagome fought the urge to retch by stuffing several french fries in her mouth. Miroku settled for a few deep breaths. Inu-Yasha nodded slowly. "This is a good burger." He saw his friends' disgusted faces. "What? I'm the guy who eats mystery meat, remember? I feel like a he-man. For some reason I'm craving something really really raw." He grinned, and Kagome covered her eyes with her hands. 

            "So get sushi. It's classier and it doesn't make me want to barf when I watch you eat it," Miroku muttered with his eyes squeezed shut, as if willing himself not to puke. He opened them, saw Inu-Yasha licking the blood off his fingers, and stood up abruptly. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to eat somewhere where my friend isn't eating half-cooked cow. Later, Kagome." He picked up his tray and moved away. 

            "What's his problem?" Inu-Yasha muttered, taking another bite.

            Kagome raised her eyebrows. "He's got a weak stomach. But what's _your _problem? You're eating raw meat, Inu-Yasha! Anyone can see it's not cooked—much. Why are you doing this?" 

            "I don't know. Because it tastes good?" But Inu-Yasha wasn't meeting her eyes. He couldn't possibly tell her about what was going—she would hate him. Or worse. 

            But it couldn't be "that time" yet. The last time it had occurred was when Kagome started training with Myouga's partners. That was a week and a half ago, right on time, the end of the month. It was way too soon, this month had barely started, so why was he getting all the symptoms now?

            He pushed it to the back of his head. The meat was calling. 

            "What's this?" Kagome reached over and took the two tickets from beside his tray. Her eyes lit up. "Oh my gosh, Monty Python! Inu-Yasha, how did you get these tickets? The Holy Grail, too! Not as funny as the Flying Circus, but certainly near the top…"

            "From Myouga," Inu-Yasha replied. He saw how her face lit up at the sight of the tickets, and the words just spilled out, "Want to go with me?" 

            "Are you serious? I'd love to go!" Kagome beamed at him. Inu-Yasha half-smiled back. Suddenly her smile faded. "…Inu-Yasha, this isn't a date, right?" 

            _Would it be bad if it was? _But Inu-Yasha just shook his head. "No, it's not a date." Besides, he couldn't date her anyway. After sharing that hug, the past had hurt him so strongly he couldn't think of Kagome like that night again. "It's just a night of Monty Python." Another thing to add to his problems. He was eating raw meat, he'd had a disturbing dream, and now he was going to the movies with Kagome. Inwardly he wondered to himself how long he could keep the secret. 

*          *          *

            For the tenth time that day, Inu-Yasha reminded himself that it wasn't a date. No, it wasn't. No matter how many times Miroku teased him and sang "Inu-Yasha and Kagome, sittin' in a tree…" he would never believe him. 

            But when Kagome came down the stairs looking like he'd never seen her, those ten times didn't seem like enough. She was wearing a beige colored skirt that stopped mid-thigh and a white jacket, unzipped halfway to reveal a red tank top underneath. Her hair was set normally—long and down, her usual style when it wasn't tied for sports. Instead of a duffel bag, she carried her bow and arrow in a more fashionable messenger bag. 

            Usually Inu-Yasha wondered how she could ever get a guy. Now, without realizing, he was wondering how she couldn't. 

            Mrs. Higurashi, who'd been chatting with Inu-Yasha while waiting for Kagome, smiled widely when her daughter came down. "Kagome, you look gorgeous! Doesn't she, Inu-Yasha?" 

            "Huh? Oh, right. Considering she looks like a train wreck the rest of the time." Kagome shot him a glare and bared her teeth when her mother wasn't looking. 

            Instead of taking her side, her mother laughed. "I agree. Kagome, you should dress up more, you're lucky Inu-Yasha's giving you a chance." 

            "What did you do, brainwash her?" Kagome muttered under her breath towards Inu-Yasha. Then she smiled at her mother. "Mom, it's not a date, we're just watching Monty Python. Like I'd ever date Inu-Yasha." 

            Mrs. Higurashi smiled. "Ahh…denial…your father and I were in denial when we first met…you'll get past it, you'll see." She grinned innocently at them. "Can I cajole you into posing for a picture?" 

            Kagome's cheeks were flaming. Inu-Yasha seemed to be enjoying her embarrassment and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Of course, Mrs. Higurashi," he said charmingly. "We'll pose for as many as you like." 

            Well, if he wanted to play it that way, then fine. Kagome smiled and wrapped Inu-Yasha's arm around her shoulders tighter, digging her fingernails deep into his skin. She felt him suck in a deep breath and make a squeaky noise, and laughed evilly to herself—a man could survive a vampire attack but was powerless against a woman's fingernails.

Mrs. Higurashi snapped picture after picture, wondering wistfully to herself if Kagome would ever find herself a nice boyfriend and making a mental note to show these pictures to Kagome once they developed. They made an excellent looking couple.

*          *          *

            It wasn't until Inu-Yasha realized what a nice neck Kagome had that he knew something was wrong. He looked up at the sky—there was a moon, so why was this happening? But the symptoms were coming again, and this time a lot worse. 

            They sat in the theater, watching the French soldier insult King Arthur and his "k-niggits" from atop the castle, then proceed to throw cows at them when they insisted for the Holy Grail. Inu-Yasha could barely concentrate. Every time something funny happened (in a Monty Python movie, every three seconds) Kagome would tilt her head back and laugh long and hard. And Inu-Yasha's eyes kept traveling to a spot just above her black choker. 

            He knew only one way to stop the symptoms. But there was no way he could do it now, not in front of everyone. Inu-Yasha grit his teeth and clutched the handles of his seat tightly so that his knuckles turned white. He was getting incredibly thirsty. 

            "Inu-Yasha?" Kagome's voice made him look at her. She touched the knuckles of his right hand with a finger. "What's wrong?" 

            If she touched him again he knew he would break. Inu-Yasha stood up abruptly. "Bathroom," he said shortly. He weaved past the other moviegoers and headed straight for the men's bathroom. There he leaned against the cool wall. 

            _What if she finds out? What if Myouga finds out? What will I tell her? What the hell do I do? _

*          *          *

            Kagome was still snickering when the movie was finished. Along with the crowd she and Inu-Yasha filed out of the movie theater. He'd stayed in the bathroom for quite awhile, but he managed to come back before the castle with the horny maidens. She didn't ask him what took him so long, but she did notice that he looked more relaxed and laughed a lot more when he came back. 

            Yeah...actually Kagome didn't really want to know. 

            She lifted her hands to her cheeks. "Man, they're so sore from laughing so hard. This is why I love Monty Python." 

            "Me too," Inu-Yasha agreed. "Ready to go?" 

            "Wait, I want to stop by the bathroom first." Kagome headed towards the bathrooms, but saw a huge crowd at the bathrooms. Some policemen were there, surrounding a young man with short black hair who looked dazed and confused. Kagome frowned and tapped the shoulder of the person in front of her. "What's going on?" 

            The person shrugged. The young man had a hand pressed to his neck, and he kept repeating, "I'm OK, I'm OK…no I didn't see my attacker…" When he withdrew his hand, Kagome saw two puncture marks. Her jaw dropped, and she immediately whirled around and made her way back to Inu-Yasha. 

            "Someone's been attacked by a vampire!" she said, pointing towards the bathrooms. "Had you been earlier you could have found him…"

            "Actually I did," Inu-Yasha interrupted. "It's a young man, right? He was already knocked out when I got there, but the vampire was still there. I killed him. I just didn't bring the man out because you know how police get, they might think it was me or something. Besides, it wasn't a serious bite, he's not going to die or anything. Now can we go?" Before Kagome could answer, he grabbed her hand and led her out of the movie theater. 

*          *          *

            "So you're telling me you've found Inu-Yasha?" An Inu-kai vampire asked in a cool voice. 

            Naraku smiled. "He's taken up quite an interesting profession…vampire slaying, I think it was." 

            Lord Sesshoumaru, the son of the master of the Inu-kai castle, snorted disdainfully and finally turned his head towards Naraku, acknowledging his presence. "Does he really think he can defeat us? He can't even find us." He didn't mention how they couldn't find Inu-Yasha, either. Unlike Naraku, they kept their castle isolated so that no human could enter—not after the attack by Myouga and Kikyo sixty years back. But that also meant that no vampire could leave the castle until they opened it again.

            "He's teamed up with a girl named Kagome Higurashi." The expression on Sesshoumaru's face showed that he cared little. "She is an exact replica of Kikyo, in both looks and power, sworn to take revenge against your clan." 

            Another snort. "Humans have become more foolish over the years. A Kikyo replica, you say…So what is your purpose in coming here, then?"

            Naraku's smile grew wider. "I need Inu-Yasha out of the way so that I can get to Kagome. I want her. I want her power. So I thought we could form an alliance of some sort. You open your castle to the humans, and you will get Inu-Yasha, and I will get Kagome. I know how your father has been looking for him." A glint flashed in his eyes at the mention of the Lord Inu-kai, one of the first and most powerful vampires ever.

            Sesshoumaru's golden eyes hardened, but Naraku continued, "It will be easy. Barely any fighting will be involved. Once Kagome finds out about Inu-Yasha's true identity, she won't be so hard to claim anymore. Humans are easily swayed." 

            "Fine. I'll open the castle for those human fools. It will take much of our time, perhaps a entire day, and much human blood. It will be ready in three days." Sesshoumaru looked bored. "How much damage can Inu-Yasha and a Kikyo lookalike do, anyway?" 

            "Let's see…his Tetsusaiga and her purified arrows…" Naraku pretended to think. "Quite more than you might think. I've already sent some of my own clan down there to attack. They should be there at any minute now." 

            "I hope you know, though," Sesshoumaru's voice cut through Naraku's evil chuckle. "About Inu-Yasha's condition?"

            "Yes…the last occurrence happened two weeks ago. Also, my entering the castle caused it to be slightly visible to the mortal world…I am sure Inu-Yasha's been feeling it someway or another." 

            "If I open the castle, our presence would cause the change to occur again," Sesshoumaru said coolly. "You might be dealing with a different Inu-Yasha." 

            Naraku continued his evil chuckle where he left off. "Don't worry. I can deal with a pitiful halfling. But I'm betting my reaction will be quite different from Kagome's…when she finds out."

*          *          *

            As soon as Kagome felt an odd brush of wind she plunged her hand into her bag and pulled out her bow. She locked it into place and quickly drew an arrow. When she looked over at Inu-Yasha, he had his glowing Tetsusaiga held in front of him. The sky above them was lit by a sliver of moon and the light posts, but otherwise the street was deserted. 

            She closed her eyes. While she'd been training with Myouga's friends, they'd taught her to feel for a vampire's presence. Her eyes flew open. "To your left!" she cried to Inu-Yasha. He swung as a vampire zoomed in from nowhere. The vampire shrieked as he was sliced in half 

            After that a swarm of them lunged from the bushes and sky. Kagome loosed her arrow at a vampire—the power she unleashed formed a comet around the arrow and knocked out two or three vampires. She fitted another one in place and let go. 

            "Kagome! You okay?" Inu-Yasha shouted as swung at the demons. Kagome nodded and dodged a vampire's punch, retaliating with an axe kick. A bunch of vampires whistled, and she remembered she was wearing a skirt. _Crap…_

            "Inu-Yasha, let's blow a path," she muttered when their backs bumped. He nodded. At the same time, he swung and she shot an arrow in the same direction. The vampires exploded and flew out of the way and the two hunters ran through the now open path. 

            They leapt up walls and bushes and ran down roads, occasionally kicking off the fast vampire. They dodged around cars and shops until they entered a series of alleyways. There were no lights in the area except for the moon, and they found themselves constantly tripping over things on the ground. "Shit!" Inu-Yasha growled. "We'll never get through like this." Kagome shushed him and nearly crashed into a wall. 

            After they'd almost lost each other by running in separate directions, Inu-Yasha grabbed Kagome's hand. Behind them they could hear cold laughter from the vampires—"We're gonna kill you, Inu-Yasha! Naraku's gonna have Kagome, you don't deserve her! Not after what you did with—" 

            Inu-Yasha ran faster. Kagome was unprepared for the sudden speed and stumbled after him. Suddenly her leg hit something thin and sharp—like the lid of a garbage can—and she yelled in pain, then quickly covered her mouth with her free hand. In front of her Inu-Yasha cursed again, then began twisting and turning through the alleys. 

            Kagome was becoming exhausted. She half-shut her eyes and felt for vampire aura. When she found none, she tugged on Inu-Yasha's hand. "Let's slow down, I can't feel them anymore," she said breathlessly. They ducked into an alley that was smaller than the rest. She fell against the wall and took some deep breaths. The excitement of running faded, and the pain of her injury sank in. She lifted her leg and clutched at her calf. "Inu-Yasha, did you have to run so fast?"

            "Unless you want to marry that son of a bitch Naraku then yes," Inu-Yasha grumbled. "Here, let me see what's wrong." 

            "No, I'm OK." 

            "Don't be so stubborn." 

            "Do you _always _have to save me? I said I'm okay." 

            "But it's bleeding!" 

            Kagome looked up at Inu-Yasha. Her hand was covering the wound, so there was no way he could see it was bleeding. And the light of the moon was weak. "How did you know that?" 

            "I—I smell it," Inu-Yasha replied after a pause. 

            "You _smell _it? But how—" Kagome stopped and looked up. The wall they were leaning against wasn't as tall as the buildings, so it gave them a good view of the moon. Someone or something was crouching on the top of the wall, obscuring the moonlight with their body. He, or it, seemed to be waiting.

            Slowly Kagome sank down to the floor. Her white jacket was especially visible in the night. If she took it off, the sharp movement would be detected. How would she hide it? 

            Almost automatically she put her hand on Inu-Yasha's shoulder and pulled him towards her, shielding her body with his own. He began to protest, but she put a finger against his mouth. Their foreheads were touching, their noses almost. Kagome closed her eyes and remembered the last time they'd been this close, on the hill at school, regarding each other with contempt. Obviously they didn't think that anymore. 

            "What are you doing?" Inu-Yasha whispered against her finger, although it was so soft he was practically mouthing the words. 

            Kagome looked up at him, eyes bright. The finger against his lips trembled. "What if Naraku captures me?" 

            Inu-Yasha remembered her fear. Although Kagome had gotten stronger, the fear instilled in her since childhood was also strong. Looking at Kagome like this, when they weren't being obnoxious, made Inu-Yasha want to protect her. And normally he'd never felt like a protector to anyone…except _her…for one brief crazy moment Inu-Yasha wanted Kagome to cry so that he could kiss her tears away again…_

The thought was jarred out of him as a loud cawing echoed through the night. Above them, a black crow spread its wings and flew over them, his harsh shriek jarring the night. Kagome looked up and saw the grinning face of a demon vampire peering from above the wall. "Nowhere to run!" he shouted. Then there was a loud crash. The wall beside them began to crack. 

            Too late Kagome realized the wall was going to crack apart and fall on top of them. There was another loud crash, and finally the wall broke. Inu-Yasha grabbed Kagome's frozen body and ran towards a large dumpster near them. He quickly threw the lid open and he and Kagome dove on the ground, under the little triangle the lid created, as concrete fell around them, hitting the lid and pressing it down on Inu-Yasha's body. He cried out in pain and got to his knees, so that he shielded Kagome from the concrete and carried the weight of the debris on the lid on his back. 

            From outside: "Shit! We were supposed to capture them, not trap them under concrete! Here, fool, try lifting it!" 

            "Aaarrrgh! It's too heavy!" 

            "What'll we do?" 

            "What else can we do? Go back to Lord Naraku and tell him. It's not like they can move around in there." 

            "You're right. Mwahahhahaha!" 

            The laughter of the vampire grew fainter until it disappeared completely. Kagome's daze cleared up, and for the first time she really understood where she was. She looked up, eyes wide, at Inu-Yasha, whose teeth were clenched and arms slightly trembling. And she realized what he'd saved her from.

            "Right…so now what are we going to do?"

            ~So if you still don't know what's up with Inu-Yasha…I don't know what else to tell you. ;-)


	9. Prisoner

            AN: Hola! So much for my weekly update, huh? Sorry, when on a vacay that got extended, so didn't have time to write. Also, I was wondering if this fic lacked in fluff, so I was thinking whether I should rewrite this entire chapter and add mush. But then if I do, I'd have to rewrite chapter 10, too, which I'm more than halfway through. So I'll save the fluff for next time. Hey, they're stuck under concrete? How much fun can they have? 

            Ehh….don't answer that, just enjoy the fic ^_^. 

Prisoner

            Situation—Kagome was stuck under a pile of concrete, in total darkness, in a dark alley in the middle of the night. The only thing stopping the concrete from squashing her completely was Inu-Yasha. There was about half a meter space between them that was quickly decreasing. She could feel Inu-Yasha's arms trembling on either side of her shoulder. 

            Thoughts raced through her mind. Would they ever manage to get out of here? Would anyone even know they were gone? Inu-Yasha was strong, but not superhuman. Eventually his strength would give out and they would be buried under concrete forever. Would she ever live past this night? Not to mention that she was practically melting under her jacket. 

            All those years of training to defeat Kikyo's killers—wasted. The girl who would avenge Kikyo was now stuck under a collapsed wall. With the second best vampire hunter in the world. Kagome tried to push those thoughts out of her head. It was just a wall. They would get out easily. 

            Then another horrifying thought shot into her head, so quickly her blood almost froze (if it weren't near boiling point already with the blasted heat.) "Oh no, I'm going to die a virgin!" she wailed out loud. 

            Silence. Then Inu-Yasha's disbelieving voice, "And that's _all _you can think of?"               

            Kagome was in a state of panic. "This isn't fair! I'm being robbed of my youth! I can't die yet!" She pushed against the dumpster lid with her hands, but to no avail. She began wailing at the top of her lungs about how her life was over and unfulfilled and the like.

            "Kagome, stop it! You're using up precious oxygen!" Inu-Yasha hissed. "_My _precious oxygen, since I'm the one saving our butts here…" 

            There was a pause. Then… "Hey, Inu-Yasha, how flexible are you?" 

            "…I'm going to pretend I never heard that. The lack of oxygen is messing with your head, and hopefully you'll black out and never remember saying that," Inu-Yasha said as calmly as he could. He could've sworn he'd heard her mutter, "Damn." 

            A drop of moisture dropped down on Kagome's collarbone. Her hands traveled to Inu-Yasha's face, which was lined with sweat. Kagome bit her lip, then started unzipping her jacket. 

            Inu-Yasha heard the sound of the zipper and nearly had a heart attack. "Uhm, Kagome, what are you doing? Didn't you hear me? This is so grounds for rape…" 

            "You're such a moron!" Kagome shot back. She shrugged out of her jacket as best as she could while lying on the floor. Wrapping the white cloth around her hand, she wiped the sweat from Inu-Yasha's face. 

            He started at the sudden feel of cloth on his face, but when he realized Kagome was not trying to smother him (and perhaps ultimately do worse things), he relaxed. "Thanks," he mumbled. But in that one moment he'd allowed himself to relax his arms wavered violently and collapsed. "Shit!"

            Kagome yelped and braced herself, but Inu-Yasha didn't collapse on her. She didn't feel the weight of a ton of cement on her body. He'd held out his arms again, and they were now braced against the floor now, his elbows resting against Kagome's sides. His teeth were gritted in pain, and occasionally he cried out. Kagome was feeling worse and worse every minute. She was supposed to be capable of taking care of herself! So why was it that when Inu-Yasha came along, he had to save her from everything? 

            Hah…she could hold up the damn wall too…Kagome squirmed around, trying to move her legs from under Inu-Yasha's. When she got them free, she planted a foot on either side of Inu-Yasha's waist on the dumpster lid and pushed. _Holy crap that's heavy…_But all that jogging and biking and Myouga's sword dodging helped, and the lid rose off Inu-Yasha's shoulders a little bit. 

            "Thanks," Inu-Yasha said again. That was the second time he'd said thanks to someone that night, and it felt weird, since usually the word was alien to his lips. All of a sudden he grinned into the darkness. "Hey, aren't you wearing a skirt?" 

            Kagome rolled her eyes. "You can't see through the dark anyway, and there's nothing you can see that Naraku's vampires haven't already. Which is why I'm going to slaughter them once I get out of here," she added under her breath. "_If _we get out of here." 

            "We will," Inu-Yasha said confidently. "Or we'll die trying. Literally. Kagome, can't you shoot your arrow out of here or something? My Tetsusaiga is buried under all this crap as well."

            She shook her head, even though Inu-Yasha couldn't see. "When I shoot the arrow, the power glows around the arrow in the form of light. Since the lid of this thing is metal, it would reflect back to us. My arrow's more of a long-range thing. Plus I'm lying on it." 

            "Why didn't you say that in the first place? Well, then we're stuck here until I think of another idea," Inu-Yasha muttered. With Kagome holding up half the weight, talking wasn't so difficult. He sighed and lowered his head so that his chin touched his collar bone. He heard Kagome giggle. "What's so funny?" 

            "Your hair's tickling me." He felt her hands near his face again, gently brushing his hair away from it, tucking it behind his ears. Inu-Yasha felt his cheeks redden. Then, as chirpily as if she was complimenting a new mother on her baby, she said, "You know, I had a dream about you last night."

            He gulped. "Y-you did?" _Was that supposed to be suggestive? She sounds like she's going to seduce me or something…_

             "Mmm-hmm. It was really funny. Remember when I first met you—gosh, it seems like a long time ago—I thought you were a vampire?" 

            "Dear lord, how could anyone forget?" He muttered. Kagome shushed him and continued, "Well, in this dream you were a vampire. I was a vampire slayer, and Naraku was there too. It was this sort of wrestling arena, except instead of wrestlers it was the three of us, all fighting against each other. Miroku was the referee. I was wondering why you were a vampire, and whenever I wondered, you changed back into a human. Then when I dismissed it as me being screwed up, you became a vampire again. And sometimes I couldn't tell what you were. And Naraku just kept laughing. And at the end, I became a vampire too. The only person who stayed human was Miroku." Kagome let out a small laugh of her own. "Usually I can interpret dreams pretty well, but that was way over the top."

            Inu-Yasha's heart had nearly stopped with every sentence, until the end at least, which seemed totally ridiculous. Kagome had probably been eating too much pizza at night as well. Obviously her dream had come from the fact that she'd thought he was a vampire, and all her thoughts about Naraku. It had nothing to do with him. But maybe she could make something out of his dream… "You know, I had a dream about us too." 

            Kagome snickered. "Were we fighting like in my dream? Because I can interpret that easy. It means we've been seeing too much of each other." 

            "Sort of. You were trying to kill me. We were fighting Naraku, and all of a sudden you turned on me—" he decided to leave a little detail out for a few reasons "And almost killed me. Then someone else killed you, and I rushed to your side. I guess I felt a little scared, I dunno. And Naraku kept laughing, like in your dream." Again he left out a little detail. "So what does it mean, O Madame Kagomenski?" 

            "Hmm…" There was silence as Kagome pondered. "Oh, I know! This dreams means you care about me!"

            Inu-Yasha nearly collapsed again. "What?! Me, care about you?" 

            "It's either that or you really don't like me. Come on, which one is it?" 

            He scowled. "I don't know…" He didn't really want to talk about it. In fact, he was sorry he ever brought up the dream. To get Kagome's mind off the subject, he shifted his shoulders, trying to find another spot on his back to balance the lid. This reminded him that Kagome's legs still flanked his waist, helping him keep the thing up. He wondered if they were ever going to get out of here.  

*          *          *

            "Hey, Ms. Higurashi!" Miroku greeted as he entered the shrine. 

            Kagome's mother smiled back, even if it seemed a bit stretched. "Oh, hello Miroku. What can I do for you?" 

            "I was just looking for Kagome. Are she and Inu-Yasha back yet? We were all supposed to go bowling afterwards." Miroku checked his watch. "The movie ended like forty minutes ago." 

            Mrs. Higurashi looked at the clock on the wall. "Yes, they are a bit late." There seemed to be a slight trace of hope in her voice. "Maybe they stopped at a restaurant after the movie…or took a walk by the park…even though I discouraged Kagome from walking around alone at night, Inu-Yasha's there with her…maybe more than just a walk?" 

            Miroku stared at Mrs. Higurashi. "I don't think Inu-Yasha and Kagome would that sort of thing, Mrs. Higurashi. I mean, they're like cats and dogs around each other." Then he stopped. "Dog…Inu-Yasha…heh heh I made a funny joke…" he chuckled at his brilliance.

            Mrs. Higurashi gave Miroku a strange look. "Well, won't you sit down?" she offered him a chair by the kitchen table. "Is it really true that Inu-Yasha and Kagome aren't too fond of each other? After my initial meeting with him, he seems like a very nice man."

            "Actually, I think they're warming up to each other," Miroku said. "Sure, they still fight, but it's nothing like the first few days of school—they loathed each other. Kagome thought Inu-Yasha was a vamp—" he stopped. 

            "A what?" Mrs. Higurashi asked, busy making a pot of tea. 

            "Vamp," Miroku finished, mentally congratulating himself on his save. Mrs. Higurashi stopped and gave him a weird look, wondering whether Inu-Yasha really was a woman who liked seducing men with sexually suggestive charm. Miroku was slow—he wouldn't realize his mistake until probably later in the night.

            She set before him a cup of tea. "Why don't you drink up first? I'll see if we have some leftover cake. Maybe if they're not back soon we can call." 

            "Sure," he agreed. "I'll call after I get something in my stomach." 

*          *          *

            "Hey," Kagome said suddenly. "There's an empty space to my right. If I move so that my back is against the dumpster side, we could fit in that little nook the lid creates. We wouldn't have to hold this thing up anymore, and just kind of huddle until help arrives." 

            _Huddle? _"What if the lid is too weak to support all the concrete, and caves in completely?" Inu-Yasha asked. "And while we're moving we could get squashed in the process." 

            "We just have to try it then. We'll move quickly. I can already feel the side of the dumpster with my hand, it's to my right and your left. On the count of three we'll scoot back into that little nook and hopefully the lid still forms a triangle around us." Kagome flicked Inu-Yasha's arm. "Come on, it beats keeping this thing up for hours. You're weakening already." She finally got a sigh of defeat. "Ok, on the count of three, ready? It has to be a quick movement. One, two…three!" 

            They rolled lightning fast into the little space. The lid crashed down on where they used to be, but didn't cave in to the concrete. Kagome's back slammed against the dumpster side, and a split second later Inu-Yasha crashed into her. The space that they'd rolled in was half of what they'd had before. Now they couldn't move around, for they were pressed tightly together, but Inu-Yasha wasn't holding up the debris for them anymore. 

            The burn in his shoulders was killing him. Exhausted, Inu-Yasha closed his eyes and dropped his head forward, hoping that the cool metal of the dumpster would soothe him somewhat. Instead his face dropped into a warm shoulder. 

            Kagome made a surprised sound when she felt Inu-Yasha's head on her shoulder. He mumbled into her skin, "Sorry, I was looking for the dumpster for my head…" He stopped when he realized how stupid that sounded.  

            "Oh, yeah, I'm kind of squished against it. You want to trade?" 

            "Like we can trade," he snorted. "Both of us are currently cramped in a space the size of a coffin. This _is our coffin. Our coffin of death. This is our graveyard. We are doomed in this coffin-sized coffin of darkness." _

"Could you _be_ any more morbid? Not to mention stupid?"

 "All because of you," he continued as if he hadn't heard her. "Why did I let you talk me into this?" He was still leaning against her shoulder. 

            "Uhm, because we were about to be squished into pancakes? Nice to know being confined in a tiny space doesn't hinder your ability to sound ungrateful and mean." 

            "Believe me, when I have the energy, I'll show you mean," Inu-Yasha said. Kagome giggled at the tone of his voice. And Inu-Yasha was suddenly aware of how close her shoulder was to her neck—how close _he was to her neck. His cheek nearly touched it when it rose and fell with her laughter. He could faintly hear her pulsing heartbeat traveling through her jugular…half of him wanted to do it now, but the other half was desperately fighting it, and a tiny bit was wondering why the hell he needed it so much. Hadn't the man in the theater been enough?     _

            Inu-Yasha closed her eyes. _Stop it, he told himself. _Stop it right now. Not Kagome. _But even with his eyes closed, he saw her arched neck, the soft skin. Inu-Yasha tried to move his head back, but there was so little space…_

            "Inu-Yasha? What's wrong?" 

            "I'm…hungry," he said in a low voice, the word just spilling out. 

            She giggled again. _Stop laughing. You don't know what it's doing to me._ "Is that all? You're going to have to tell your stomach to hold." 

            _It's not my stomach. _Then Kagome's heartbeat became louder. Inu-Yasha could almost taste her on his lips. Slowly he lowered his head, his lips tracing her skin softly as they traveled down her neck. Not a good idea, since Kagome's pulse began to race, making his hold on humanity even weaker. 

            "What are you doing?" Kagome didn't know why Inu-Yasha was kissing her neck—well, not really kissing—but she was torn. It felt good, but it also wasn't Inu-Yasha. It was a strong sense of déjà vu, like that scene outside the novelty store was replaying itself all over again. A part of her wanted to close her eyes and let him continue, but most of her knew this was scarily wrong. It didn't feel warm and tender like before—"Stop!"

            He wasn't listening. He opened his mouth and was ready to bite down—

            A very loud, jarring, sudden ringing sound allowed his humanity to take control. Growling, he pushed his head back so hard that it crashed into the tin above his head. Stars winking in his eyes, he noticed Kagome fidgeting under him, glad for a distraction. The ringing stopped. 

"No!" Kagome wailed. "That was my phone! It's somewhere here but I can't find it!" She continued to burrow around. "Oh, please ring again…" Thankfully, it did. After a few minutes of browsing and more loud ringing, Kagome reached under the dumpster and pulled out her glowing phone. "I found my phone! A lifesaver!" she cried, whipping the cover open. 

            Inu-Yasha exhaled. "More than you know," he murmured under his breath. 

            "Hello? Miroku!! You don't know how glad I am to hear your voice!" Kagome said happily into her phone. "Hey, you'll never guess where we are!" 

            "Oh! I know! You're slowly wasting away under a ton of cement!" 

            Kagome did a double-take, then glared suspiciously at the phone. "Actually under a dumpster first, and I won't ask you how you knew that, you freakish all-knowing weirdo." A pause.  "What dumpster? How the heck should I know, Miroku? Do they have names?" If there was any room, Inu-Yasha would have lifted his hand and smacked it against his face. Of all the people to save them, it had to be Miroku. 

            "_Yes _it's really tight in here…" Kagome was beginning to lose her chirpy tone. "Miroku, _no we have not done anything, you lecherous pervert. Why do I sound out of breath? Because I'm trapped under cement with a dwindling supply of oxygen! Miroku, are you going to help us or not? I swear if me and Inu-Yasha die we're haunting you for all the days of your life." A pause. "Now you're making sense! What alley?" she asked Inu-Yasha, turning her mouth away from the phone. _

            "Before we ran into the maze I saw a sign that said Gojira Alley," Inu-Yasha replied. "You'll have to tell him to look around for it, I don't know where we are now." 

            Kagome repeated the message to Miroku, and when she was sure he got it, pumped her fist in the tiny space. "Yes, we're saved!" she shouted, wrapping her arms around Inu-Yasha's neck. Then she remembered what Inu-Yasha had been doing before the phone call and quickly dropped her arms. 

            At the same time, Inu-Yasha drew back at the sudden contact and coughed. "Uhm, that's great." _Don't get too close to her, you already slipped once. _"Please don't hug me." He stopped and realized that was the second stupid-sounding thing he'd said tonight. _My god, I sound like a depressed teddy bear. _

            From the phone that Kagome forgot to turn off, Miroku's voice, etchy with static, "I knew it! You are making the moves on him, Kagome!" 

            Kgome indignantly drew back. "Oh, what about that part when you said you cared about me?" 

            "You said that, Inu-Yasha?" Miroku asked through the phone.  "Okay, me and the cops are at Gojira Alley, we're looking around a bit…"

            "I only said a little!" Inu-Yasha protesting. The snickering from the other side of the line proved that to Miroku, a little meant a lot. "Did I tell you about how when we were first stuck in here, Kagome was bawling about how she was going to die a virgin then tried to—" 

            Kagome quickly pressed the end call button on her phone. Inu-Yasha smirked. "I think Miroku knows enough to make his brain pop out," she said. "Besides, if you ever do spill, I'll just tell him about what you were trying to do. What _was _all that business about kissing my neck, anyway?" 

            The smirk died from his lips. Though he was wishing she would forget it, he knew it was impossible to. "What do you mean? I wasn't kissing you. I—was looking for a place to rest my lips."__

            "On my neck?" 

He wished he could stop cranking out stupid sentences. "Don't think anything of it, okay? It was nothing." What could he say to make her forget it? Probably nothing. Oh, wait! Draw the attention on her… "And what about you? If I recall clearly, you were arching your neck like you wanted me to do it!" 

            She sputtered, "What—no—nu-uh! If _I recall clearly, I was petrified with shock. Just tell me why you were doing it. Oh, wait I know, you didn't want to die a virgin either!"   _

            Inu-Yasha snorted. "What makes you think I'm a virgin?" 

            A very long pause. Then, "You're kidding, right?" 

            "Heh heh. That's something you're gonna have to ponder." As Kagome whacked his shoulder with her fist, he gave himself a mental pat on the back for coming up with a diversion (even if it meant physical pain.) All of a sudden he grabbed her wrist. "Ssh, Kagome, do you hear that?" 

            Kagome frowned. Then she nodded slowly, "Yeah, like some sort of rumbling…" 

            "It's getting louder," he murmured. Then the ground started shaking, not violently but still enough for them to feel it. Forgetting the past events, Kagome clutched onto Inu-Yasha's arms. Wild thoughts ran through her head. "Oh my god, they're going to bulldozer us into little pancakes and no one will know we're here until they see the blood running down the street and our flat, broken severed hands poking out of the debris and our skulls crushed to powder and our ribs cracked and spine snapped—" 

            "Shut up!" Inu-Yasha hissed. Her description was sort of sickening him. "It sounds more like a helicopter than a bulldozer."

            There was a loud crash, so loud it shook the ground and jostled them. "Right," Kagome said, "There _was _a helicopter. Now it's a mass of twisted metal." 

            A loud, blaring sound, like—"Sirens," Inu-Yasha realized. "Kagome, Miroku must have found us! I knew that he had some form of a brain in his head!" He began yelling, "Over here—I mean, under here! We're under here!" 

            His voice probably didn't go through the many pieces of rock, but it sure deafened Kagome. "Shut up!" she repeated his words. "They can't hear you, but I can. Just wait till they find us. It can't be too hard to find a big pile of rocks."

            So they waited. And waited. And waited. 

            "So you say, Kagome?" 

            Before Kagome could retort, there came yet another loud noise—and the dumpster quivered. Kagome closed her eyes, fearing that the stones would finally cave in. The lid of the dumpster shook violently, and started bending down in their direction. Then it stopped. 

            Inu-Yasha tentatively pressed a foot against the lid. He looked shocked when the dumpster sprang back up. "Kagome—it's a lot lighter now." The dumpster wall shook again, this time with a loud thud that knocked against the metal walls and sent her ears ringing. Then there was yet another crash—and the lid finally caved in. Instantly Inu-Yasha covered Kagome, who shut her eyes tightly. Once again, the lid was pressing down on Inu-Yasha's back. He winced. _Don't let it get Kagome…don't let it…get…     _

            "Inu-Yasha?" Kagome whispered, her eyes still shut. "Are you OK?" 

            He'd been bracing himself for the humongous weight of hundreds of pounds of concrete, but he blinked with surprise when the load on his back felt like the weights he lifted in weight-training. "Kagome, I think we can get out of here." Placing his palms against the floor, he lifted his knees so that his feet were on the ground. Then he pushed. He could do this. 

            With a loud cry Inu-Yasha got to his feet, pushing the concrete off his back. The numerous blinding lights around him nearly made him fall again, but the shock of cool night air helped him stay up. The tiny alleyway was filled with people holding flashlights. It turned out on the other side of the broken wall there was a wide street, now filled with police cars and ambulances and—a crane? 

            "Duck!" someone howled. Inu-Yasha looked up to see a big crane swinging towards him, its mouth open to grab more concrete. He cursed and dove back down, pushing Kagome who was straggling to her feet. 

            "What was that for?" she yelled at him. She looked up and saw the crane swinging to a stop on top of them, and her jaw dropped. "My god, they could have killed us…" 

            Shouts of "They're ok!" "Someone get the mom!" "Get the blankets!" "Tell the air watch we've found 'em!" filled the dark sky. Once Inu-Yasha and Kagome got to their feet, they were swamped with paramedics throwing blankets around their shoulders, and police officers asking questions. Clutching her blanket tightly around her, Kagome pushed her way through the crowd. Near the ambulance were Mrs. Higurashi and Miroku. She broke into a run and headed towards them. 

            Mrs. Higurashi saw her first. "Kagome!" she shouted happily, throwing her arms wide open. But Kagome rushed past her and jumped on Miroku, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck in a viselike grip. "You stupid!" she shouted. "The hell took you so long, huh? Huh?" 

            Miroku gurgled in response. Kagome wrestled him to the ground and started punching his head. "Asking me what dumpster, for crying out loud! Why didn't you call earlier? Weren't you worried about your dear friends? We almost died there!" 

            He choked out something that sounded like "Mercy!"  

            "Kagome," Mrs. Higurashi started, her face white. "What on _earth_ were you doing walking through an alleyway at night? Especially after Souta was kidnapped in an alley?" Kagome stopped mangling Miroku's limbs and looked down, giving Miroku the chance to slither away. How was she going to explain how she ended up in an alleyway? Her mother was deathly pale enough, she definitely didn't need to find out about vampires this time.  

            "Kagome!" Myouga hopped towards her, followed by Kaede. Unlike the police officers and her mother, Myouga didn't bombard her with questions. He already knew what had happened. Turning to Mrs. Higurashi, he bowed politely, "May I request Kagome spend the night at our house?" It wasn't an unusual request—Kagome had spent the night several times before, and Mrs. Higurashi knew she could trust Kagome with the people who had supposedly saved her life. 

            "But she's been through quite a lot tonight," Mrs. Higurashi pointed out. "Wouldn't you rather stay at home, Kagome?" 

            Kaede, meanwhile, tugged on Inu-Yasha's blanket. "You too, boy," she said. Adding in a lower voice, "There is something important Myouga has to tell you." 

            Kagome's mother heard the first part of the message. "Inu-Yasha too?" she cried out, her face turning paler still. Kagome winced, expecting her mother to say no and drag her home and give her a lecture about how it wasn't _proper _to be doing such things... 

            It was amazing how quickly her mother's expression could turn from shocked to sly in the span of half a second. A grin spread on her mother's face, and Inu-Yasha thought uneasily how similar mother and daughter were, changing expressions quick as a Cheshire cat. She said smoothly, "Well, I have no objection, knowing that I put Kagome in, er, safe hands tonight." Miroku began coughing violently, and Kagome looked like she would attack him again. 

            "Come, let's leave this wreckage to the police," Myouga said, taking Kagome's arm (he barely came up to it). 

            "Hang on, our weapons are under the concrete," Inu-Yasha said. As Kagome started to walk forward, he stopped her. "Let me get them." He disappeared for into the throng of police officers and curious passerbys, and a few seconds later came back with the bags. 

            Kagome yawned and rubbed her eyes with the sleeves of her jacket. The jacket—and her face—were smudged in dirt. Whatever Myouga told her, it would have to wait until a long, hot shower, and possibly some sleep. 

            As the team walked home, Miroku walked up beside Kagome (Inu-Yasha was attempting to send mental telepathic messages to them to save him from Kagome's mother, who was sweetly bombarding him with questions behind them, but sadly failing) and put a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" he asked her quietly. 

            "Of course I'm okay. Why wouldn't I be?" 

            "Because I wanted to ask you what happened in there," he said, smiling innocently. "You can tell me, Kagome. That phone call sounded really interesting. What's that about you dying a virgin?" 

            Kagome winced. What with being saved and all, she'd managed to forget for awhile what had happened with Inu-Yasha. If she told Miroku about it, there would be endless teasing. She didn't bother hiding her irritation. "I'm tired, Miroku, and what happened back there is the last thing on my mind." Well, sort of. Miroku took the hint and didn't press it. Instead, he put an arm around her shoulder and she laid her head against his. Ever since they were kids he'd always hugged her shoulders when she felt tired, especially after one of Myouga's hard tests. Now she didn't cry anymore, but the tradition stayed. Even if she did beat him up a lot, they really were best friends. 

            Inu-Yasha, now tuning out Mrs. Higurashi's cheerful chattering, watched them from behind. And he realized that because he'd been interrupted when Miroku called them, he was still very hungry. 

*          *          *

            After a long shower and a brief prank on Miroku which involved flushing the toilet while he was in the shower (yes, Myouga had agreed to let Miroku stay over as well) Kagome took a walk out in the backyard. It was very late at night, but aside from her previous tiredness, she wasn't sleepy yet. From inside the house she could hear Myouga and Miroku watching wrestling, and the clink of silver as Kaede gathered silver arrows on the table. At Kagome's insistence, Myouga was to tell nothing until she was clean. But when she'd come out of the shower, he'd been so absorbed in wrestling that it had to wait until afterwards. 

            The moon was out against the black sky, and it was full. There were a few wisps of clouds that the moon liked to hide in occasionally, but it always came out and shone its light on the garden. 

            There was a figure leaning against the far wall of the backyard, his shoulders slumped, shrouded in darkness. At first Kagome thought with panic that it was Naraku, because the figure's hair was long and black. But as she edged towards him, she realized it was Inu-Yasha and laughed softly. "Inu-Yasha, what are you doing out here skulking?" Then she remembered what had happened under the concrete. "Say, Inu-Yasha, I wanted to ask you about—" 

            She stopped as he jerked up, amber eyes scanning her as if seeing her for the first time. The moon appeared and disappeared, casting a brief light on his stricken face. Kagome's laughter faded. Why did Inu-Yasha look so…what word could possibly describe it? Wild? Frightened? And he still hadn't showered, so he was dirty, too. 

            He was trembling, too. Kagome had never seen Inu-Yasha like this, not ever during their weeks of training. She had seen him in pain, exhausted, furious, but never _torn, like this. She reached out with her hand and touched his arm. "What's wrong?" she asked. _

            "You want to know what's wrong?" his voice came out in a deep growl, like from a wolf. "You're a fool, Kagome. You didn't see the signs from the start." 

            "The hell--?" Kagome bristled. "I don't know what you're talking about, but I'm not a fool!"

            A sort of choked laugh came out—like Inu-Yasha wanted to laugh and didn't want to at the same time. "All those signs, and you could have found out! Could have stopped me, could have done something." With speed no human could have he grabbed her neck and slammed her against the wall, switching their places in the span of a second. Kagome choked and held on to Inu-Yasha's arm. _He's gone crazy! _She thought wildly. Kagome kicked out with her foot, but Inu-Yasha caught it in his other hand, then brought his knee forward and blocked her legs. 

            "Inu-Yasha, why—"

            "Stop asking all these questions!" He snarled. "God I'm so hungry!" Releasing his grip on her neck, he clamped both hands on her shoulder and pushed her against the wall again. Inside the house Myouga and Miroku cheered along with the fans as the wrestling match neared its finale. 

            "You want to know why I had my lips on your neck, don't you?" Inu-Yasha said harshly, holding her gaze with his glowing eyes. 

            Kagome's mouth slowly opened in shock and her eyes widened. "Oh, my god," she said softly. With his gaze he made her remember all those things Inu-Yasha had done unusually. The raw meat…his disappearance in the movie theater…his lips on her neck and his remarks about being hungry…the red welts he'd gotten when he touched silver that time in the dojo…_Naraku _saying he wasn't what he seemed…cold shock flowed through her limbs. The fact that silver hadn't harmed him during those early school days and his reflection was irrevelant—this wild creature in front of her showed all the evidence. With this sudden realization of who Inu-Yasha was, confusion also hit her like that concrete wall. 

            "You're one of them," she whispered. 

            The moonlight came again, lighting Inu-Yasha's face, lined with hunger and wildness. "Only sometimes," he said. "The time wasn't supposed to come now, I'd just had it two weeks ago. But when it does, I get really, really hungry." 

            Kagome ducked down and tried to sprint away, but Inu-Yasha grabbed her. "Stay still!" he snarled, and he grabbed her hair and pulled her head down, exposing her neck. Then in the moonlight, with the clink of Kaede's silver arrows and the loud cheers from the TV, Inu-Yasha sank his now-grown fangs deep into Kagome's neck and drank.


	10. Mending What's Broken

AN: Okay, I handled the situation as best as I could ^_^. Some parts may be a bit weird though. When I write the other chapters I might come back to this one and tweak a few things. I dunno, does this seem short to you? Just don't know what else I could do…oh well. So what will Kagome do now that Inu-Yasha's true identity is revealed? I dunno…^_^ Ehh…hope you enjoy this chapter. I think I'm just updating for the sake of it, er…

Mending What's Broken

Kagome couldn't believe this at all. The person who she'd thought was a vampire who turned out to be a vampire hunter was really a vampire after all. If Inu-Yasha wasn't currently draining all blood from her body, then she would have found this hilarious. But this was so not funny. 

            Her fingers clutched weakly at his arm, her grip slowly loosening. He was still drinking like a thirsty man in a desert finding an oasis. But that wasn't all. With horror, Kagome saw his hair changing color, from dark black slowly lightening to blond, and then to silver. The hands that were on her shoulders suddenly grew long, sharp nails that dug into her skin. Slowly she lifted one hand—with the lack of blood, her skin was turning a frightening white. If he didn't stop soon she would shrivel into a dry corpse. 

            At that moment, Inu-Yasha roughly tore his fangs from her skin. The sudden pain after moments of numbness made her draw a choked breath. Kagome looked at him, still dim with shock. Drops of her blood smeared the side of his mouth, and slowly his tongue flicked out and licked the blood droplets. His eyes, still gold, watched her steadily, without any expression or horror of what he'd done. 

            Kagome ran. She pushed past him and sprinted across the backyard. Inu-Yasha didn't follow. She pressed her white hands against the screen door and pushed hard, entering the house with a literal bang. 

            Myouga, Miroku, and Kaede turned to look at her, slight annoyance registering on the faces of the two former. "Kagome, can't you enter like a civilized pers…?" Myouga's irritated tone faded into silence at the sight of her white face. "My god…"

            Miroku got to his feet. "Kagome, what happened? You're white as a ghost!" He went up to her and gave her a tiny punch on the shoulder. "Nope, you're still flesh. Maybe you saw a ghost?" 

            The sudden contact made Kagome's half-bloodless legs buckle, and she fell forward into his arms. Kaede stood up from the kitchen table quickly and ran to Kagome. She saw the wound and gasped softly. She disappeared for a few minutes, then reappeared with a roll of bandages. Working quickly, she bandaged Kagome's neck and stopped the bleeding. Miroku, holding Kagome up by bracing her against him, looked at the two elders, bewildered. "What happened to her?" 

            "I don't know, Miroku, maybe the big bite on her neck might give you a clue," Myouga said somewhat dryly, but his eyes were serious. "Kagome, this could not have happened. I have a powerful vampire ward around this house. Even if it doesn't stop the vampire, we are at least alerted of his presence."

            Kagome started mumbling into Miroku's shoulder. "Inu-Yasha…he got past the ward…" 

            "What?" Miroku looked down. "Oh, that's so sweet, she's calling out for her hero, Inu-Yasha! I knew you were a romantic at heart, you sweetie you." 

Myouga's didn't look half as shocked as she expected. "So my suspicions are confirmed. "But the fact that he's one is practically impossible…you disproved it in school…"

"He said only sometimes he is, he did it…oh god, Inu-Yasha…"

"There there," Miroku said soothingly. "Inu-Yasha will come. He'll definitely beat the crap out of the vampire that did this to you." 

            Kagome, fed up with Miroku's oblivious and unneeded sympathy, stomped on his toe. Even drained of blood and weak, she could still make his toes throb and a strangled squeak come out of his mouth. "I'll beat the crap out of _you _if you don't stop being so stupid! _Inu-Yasha_ is the vampire!" 

            There was a loud _thud _as Miroku dropped her. 

            "…Crap, Miroku…"

            "Where is he now?" Myouga demanded. 

            "He was in the backyard, but I don't know, he could have run away…to his _master _or something…goddam traitor..." 

            "Nice to know you've still got faith in me. I'm right here." All heads swiveled towards the screen door that Kagome had barged into a few minutes ago. Inu-Yasha was standing in front of it, glaring at Kagome. 

            Kagome pushed herself off Miroku and walked up until a few meters across him. "How am I supposed to have faith in you? You just turned into a vampire right before my eyes and you expect me not to call you a traitor? Or a spy? Why don't you tell us what's going on before you start spewing on about having faith in people?" Her expression in her pale face was angry, like a twisted face of a porcelain doll. 

            Kaede moaned softly and sat back down with a thump on her chair. She looked ready to faint. Even Miroku didn't have anything to say, and he could only stare at Inu-Yasha. Or the man that looked like Inu-Yasha. His hair was longer and silver, and the fangs that Miroku had noticed earlier in the year were now long and protruded slightly from his mouth. 

            Hatred fizzled between the stare Kagome held with Inu-Yasha. Looking at Kagome's pale complexion, it seemed like two vampires were about to have a showdown. Finally Kagome held out one hand to her side and said coldly, "Myouga, get me my bow." 

            Everyone's jaw, except for Inu-Yasha's, dropped. The latter crossed his arms. "So you're going to kill me off just like that? After we've been fighting side by side for months? I'm astounded by your loyalty." 

            "Yeah, Inu-Yasha, tell me all about loyalty. We _have been fighting side by side for months, haven't we? Then the next thing I know you're sucking the life right out of me. You know, maybe the reason why you saved me all those times was so that you could eat me!" _

            Inu-Yasha was flabbergasted—but angry too. "I _told you to run!" he snarled. "I can't help being what I am!" _

            "Well then why didn't you tell us?" Kagome's voice had risen into a shout again. 

            "If I had told you, would you believe me?" 

            That brought Kagome to a stop. Would she have believed Inu-Yasha if he'd told her? This was so silly she just wanted to laugh. She'd accused him of being a vampire, and yet would not believe him if he'd told her it was true. She would have thought he was fooling around, or he'd gone insane. Especially after he'd proved to her he hadn't been running with the vampires, how could he turn right around and say, "You're right, I was only joking. I'm really a bloodsucker. I'm just screwing with you."

            "You could have made me believe," she said stonily. "At least if you'd tried, then this wouldn't have happened." Kagome looked around the room. Kaede was still weak. Miroku's lips were opening and closing soundlessly, his eyes still traveling from Inu-Yasha's white hair to his white fangs. But Myouga was looking calmly at Inu-Yasha, as if he…knew…

            "Did you know about this?" Kagome asked him. To Inu-Yasha, "Did you tell him?" 

            The vampire shook his head and Myouga said, "I had my suspicions. He was unable to touch silver that time in the dojo. That was the real reason why he couldn't pull your arrow out." 

            "See? I wasn't doing a good job of hiding it. You were just too dense to notice it," Inu-Yasha said harshly. 

            "You…you…" All of a sudden Kagome's knees collapsed. She hung onto the back of a chair, her head bent forward. The group heard her muttering "I will not faint, I will not faint…"

            "You can't argue with me right now. I took a lot of your blood. We have to take you to a hospital. Kagome, stop being so stubborn and let me help you!" Inu-Yasha reached over and touched her arm, but then she shoved it away. 

            Her eyes blazed. "Don't touch me! I _don't need blood! I don't need your help." She pushed past him towards the front door of Myouga's house. "I'm not a vampire," she said bitterly over her shoulder at him. "I'm not a traitor. I don't hide things that should be revealed. I don't—" her vision swam. She wasn't exactly telling the truth—okay, she was downright lying—when she said she didn't need blood. Kagome clung onto the door, opened it, then slammed it shut behind her. _

*          *          *

            Kagome rode a taxi to the city hospital. She stumbled into the emergency room, trying to look as desperate as possible (which wasn't too hard) and her white as death complexion and near collapse was enough to get her an emergency blood transfusion. As life flowed back into her veins, Kagome made up a story about how she had a rare case of severe hemophilia and she'd scratched her neck on a sharp necklace. It wasn't the best explanation, but with a bonus sob story and a tear or two and the subtle hint she was going to faint dead away if she wasn't given blood _right now_, the nurse had booted her up the list

            She came out of the hospital still slightly shaky but not feeling weak as death. She took another taxi back to Myouga's house and let herself in. 

            The anger was still there, but that first sharp slap of betrayal had faded somewhat. Now that anger wasn't ruling over her thoughts, she could be calm. Kagome entered the room she was staying in, where her duffel bag was on her bed. The rest of the group had disappeared, and Kagome didn't want to look for them just yet. 

            _Might as well unpack_, she thought, unzipping her bag. She pulled out all her clothes, then came across a brown envelope. Curiously she took it and shook the contents out. Photos of her and Inu-Yasha shone on her bedspread. Her mother must have gotten them delivered as soon as they'd left, then snuck them into her duffel back when Kagome was packing. Kagome stared intently at the photos, at Inu-Yasha's arm where her nails had dug in, his other arm casually across her shoulder. She remembered the events of this night, trapped under the concrete. If Inu-Yasha really had been a traitor, he wouldn't have saved her like that, would he? 

Within moments she had found a small box. Before even opening the box she knew what was inside. Kagome took out the porcelain figure and sat down on the edge of her bed. Carefully she ran her finger down the silky porcelain, the sparkling gems. Inu-Yasha had gotten this for her. He'd known she'd wanted it, he'd run back to get it for her. Not even Miroku would try something like that. And when she'd cried, he'd kissed them away…

            —_His hand traveled up to her temple, where an ugly gash had split, and brushed her hair away from the wound. When he looked back down at her face, she was smiling. "What?" _

_            "You're being nice to me," she said weakly. _

_            "Feh. I'm always nice to you. I'm a nice person, that's why I save your ass all the time." _

—_"I'll walk you home," Inu-Yasha offered casually. _

_            She rolled her eyes. "Right, because it's on the way to your house." _

_            Inu-Yasha looked annoyed. "No, I'll walk you home because I want to."  _

            —_Inu-Yasha stood and held out a tiny porcelain figure enclosed in his hands. Kagome's jaw dropped. Inu-Yasha slowly uncurled his fingers to show Kagome and Souta walking together, immortalized in porcelain. Carefully he settled it in Kagome's limp hands._

            Kagome dropped her head into her hands. After remembering all that stuff, she felt horrible. As soon as he'd bitten her, she'd turned on him, forgetting what he'd done in the past. It was one event versus the others. And she knew she couldn't defeat the Inu-kai on her own and get the Shikon Jewel _and _get Souta. _Argh, stupid bastard.__ Being all nice to me so I can't ever stay angry with him for long. She hated to admit it, but she needed his help. _

            Which meant she would have to go and apologize. 

             He wasn't in the house, so that must mean he's in the dojo. Inside she could practically hear the whizzing of Inu-Yasha's Tetsusaiga as it sliced through the air. She could hear Myouga saying, "Fine, I'll let the two of you handle it. Knowing that you are on our side is the only thing important to me. You two should sort this out yourselves." The door slid open, and Kagome quickly jumped away. 

Myouga looked at her as he came out. "Inu-Yasha's in there practicing. He's not a spy, he's on our side, but that's all he'd tell me. Maybe you can talk with him, settle your differences." As he walked away, he added, "Oh, and if you two destroy my dojo I'm sending you the bill. Bye." 

_Thank you, mentor, _Kagome thought sarcastically. As she placed her hands on the sliding door, she froze and thought of what would happen if she opened that door. But the image of the porcelain came back, and she made herself slide the door open. 

            He was in the air, swinging his sword over his head and down onto the ground. His hair, strangely, was silver now streaked with black. When he saw her he stumbled and fell to the floor with an undignified splat. 

            Normally Kagome would have leaned against the door and said, "That was clumsy," and marvel at the stupidity of her friend, but this time she ran over to him. "Inu-Yasha, are you okay? Geez, you're so clumsy!" Okay, maybe she did say it after all. 

            "I'm fine," he said shortly. "Why do you care?" 

            "Hey, don't get all snappy with me," she retaliated indignantly. "You're the one who lied—" she stopped. They were going to get sucked into a never ending argument, and she'd never do what she set out to do. Kagome decided it was now or never and screwed her eyes shut—"I'm sorry." 

            Inu-Yasha narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. "What?" 

            Her eyes flew open. "How many times am I going to have to say it? I said I'm sorry."

            "For what?" Geez, now he was just dangling this in her face, wasn't he? 

            For awhile she contemplated just staking him and getting it over with. "For getting mad. For calling you a traitor. For leaving my neck out in the open so you could lose control and suck my rare and extremely coveted blood type, for which I had to make up some crazy story about severe hemophilia to obtain," she couldn't help adding. "And that's all I'm going to apologize for so the rest of this messy business is now officially your fault." 

            A smile pulled at his lips. The dojo was covered in silence. Then a soft chuckle. "Actually, what I meant 'for what' as in, you have nothing to apologize for. But that little speech was interesting too," he added quickly as Kagome puffed up with anger. "Believe me, it wasn't a waste. I'm the one who should be apologizing." 

            He had made her say all that and she hadn't even needed to? Kagome considered smashing something on his head but then realized Inu-Yasha was _going to say sorry. _He was going to apologize to her. A grin spread on her face. This would be fun. She plopped down in front of Inu-Yasha. "Okay. Go on. I'll see if I'm in a forgiving mood." 

            "Hah, you weren't in such a cocky mood a few minutes ago," he scoffed. Kagome raised her eyebrow. He sighed. "Fine…I'm sorry for not telling you I am a vampire." 

            "And?" 

            "I'm sorry for misleading you because I didn't tell you I am a vampire." 

            "And?" 

            "I'm sorry for biting you because I am a vampire." 

            "And?" 

            "And thus betraying your trust in me, revealing my dark self, blah blah blah..." 

            "And?" 

            "D'you know, I'm feeling rather hungry again…"

            Kagome leaned backwards. "I think that's enough for you. Wow, four apologies in a row. That's a record." She started clapping. Inu-Yasha shot her a glare, then made a _keh _sound and turned his head away. Kagome's eyes fell on his silver hair and she asked quietly, "How did it happen? Were you bitten and transformed or something?" 

            Bravely she extended a hand and lifted some strands onto her fingers. Inu-Yasha didn't pull back, just watched her hand. "No," he said in a low voice. "I was born a vampire. But my mother was mortal, so I'm only half. That means I'm not always a vampire. I turn into a vampire once a month—" 

            "Like a werewolf?" 

            "Do you see me sprouting fur all over my body and howling at the moon? Stop changing the subject." Kagome bit down a smile as Inu-Yasha continued. "But recently I started feeling the symptoms of changing—you know, the beef and stuff—which was weird because I had turned into a vampire just recently, less than a month after this one." 

            "You _what? When?"_

            "When you went off on that training program with Myouga's friends. I didn't go to the soccer camp retreat. That was my monthly bloodfest time."

            Kagome cringed. "Eww…that sounds _so like a gory period." She abruptly pulled her hand back from his hair._

            "Hey, you asked. I never said it would be pretty. Then tonight, when we went to the movies, I felt the hunger. That's what the whole man-in-the-bathroom-bleeding thing was all about." Inu-Yasha's gaze shuffled away from her hand to the floor. 

            Her jaw dropped. "You mean, you bite innocent people every month? So it's like, you save people from vampires 98% of the time, then you kill one a month so you can live? That's twisted, man, so twisted." 

            She was shaking her head sadly when he yelled, "Who said anything about killing? Did that man die? I don't think so! And when I can I steal from the blood bank!" He paused and thought about it. "Is it just me, or is there something wrong with that sentence?" 

            "You almost killed me," she said quietly. 

            "That's exaggerating and you know it." She could've sworn she heard a muttered "moron" after that. "I stopped. I made myself stop. After saving your ass the entire night by having a ton of concrete squashed on mine, do you think I'd waste it all on killing you?"

            Kagome stopped and pondered a moment. Yeah, that didn't make sense. Obviously he wouldn't have sucked her dry—he just stopped short of leaving her a bloodless corpse, but didn't killed her. She felt his fingers curl around her chin and tilt her head upwards. She found herself staring into his milky golden eyes, more brilliant than his mortal ones, yet they made her feel the same. It felt like something was dancing in her stomach. Thank god he was holding her jaw, or else she would have ogled him mindlessly, mouth half-open like a dweeb and probably drooling as well. 

            "But that will never happen again," he said. "I won't lose control like that again." _I won't break your trust—I know once it's shattered it's gone forever. I know what broken trust can do to you. I won't make the same mistakes. _Her eyes were beautiful—big and warm, clear and deep, so unlike the impassionate stare that _she had had. _

            "Okay," Kagome said in a muffled voice—he was still holding on to her chin, after all. Then, as if they'd planned it, Inu-Yasha's hand moved to cradle her cheek she'd lifted her own hand and closed it over his. He drew her towards his chest and Kagome wrapped her other arm around him in a reconciling hug. The hand that held her cheek slowly slid down, past the bandage on her neck, and settled on her waist, her hand over his the entire time. "I'm sorry," he whispered lightly above her head. A little, childish part of Kagome wanted to scream, "Hah! Five apologies! You're all mine, sucker!" That is what she would have done with Miroku if they were making up from a fight. But another part of her, a different part of her, wanted to hug him tighter, let him know all was forgiven, that she understood he couldn't help himself, maybe…even…kiss…

            _NO!! _Kagome was so freaked out by her own thoughts that she broke away from Inu-Yasha's arms and scurried backwards. Freakin' hell, what was that? She did _not just think that…she wasn't in love with him aw hell no…_

            Then what was with that hug, huh? Her own thoughts were turning against her. 

            We are just friends, dammit. Besides, love is such a strong word, Kagome argued with herself. 

            So how do you want me to put it? You like him? You gotta crush? Her other self cackled wickedly. Hee hee. Your cheek's still on fire. 

            Kagome placed a hand on her cheek where Inu-Yasha had caressed—no, touched!—it just seconds ago. Stop it! She began slapping her forehead with her palm. She had priorities! Kikyo, Naraku, and Souta. Her feelings about Inu-Yasha were not important. They were probably just spur of the moment…not many guys hugged her…

            "Uhm, Kagome, are you OK?" Inu-Yasha asked, looking concerned and a little bit scared. After all, Kagome had been slapping herself for the past two minutes. 

            "Huh?" Kagome seemed to break out of whatever stupor she was in. "Yeah, I'm fine." Her cheeks were furiously red, and Inu-Yasha didn't think it was because she was whacking herself. Crickets chirped outside. 

            "So," Kagome said brightly. "Anything else you have to tell me?" 

            A pause. "Just one. But that's something I have to tell everyone else…" 

            "Is it as big as you telling us you're half-vampire?" 

            "Uhhh…maybe more?…"

*          *          *

            "YOU'RE FROM THE INU-KAI CLAN?!" A high-pitched shriek filled Kaede's kitchen. Everyone then looked at Myouga, who didn't seem at all embarrassed by his outburst. He then turned and pressed his forehead against the wall, obviously in shock. 

            Kagome shook her head. "I should have known you'd drop a bomber. Hit me with something else. Say your preferred blood source is the mosquito, say you slept with every member of KISS, I can take anything now." She stood up from her place at the table. "You're Inu-kai! Hmm, I guess it makes sense. Inu-kai, Inu-Yasha. Not only are we trying to kill off your type, we are specifically trying to kill _you." _

            Inu-Yasha was leaning against the kitchen counter. "Not really. I'm more like estranged. Think of me as the black sheep. They all want to kill me, especially my brother." He scowled. "Sesshoumaru's been trying to kill me ever since I was born." 

            Kaede gasped. Myouga whirled around again. "Sesshoumaru?" Kagome had never seen Myouga look like this. He actually looked afraid. "Sesshoumaru, the leader of the Inu-kai? He is the one who personally killed Kikyo." Kaede looked down at her hands, and Kagome placed an arm comfortingly around the old woman.   

            "Yes, he's a complete bastard," Inu-Yasha agreed emotionlessly. But Kagome was looking at him, and she saw his face change. His eyes had become shadowed, and his fists were clenched, even if his voice betrayed nothing. He hadn't looked like his when he was talking about Sesshoumaru—then he must have been reacting to Kikyo's name. _Did he know Kikyo? If Inu-Yasha was half-vampire, that meant he was older than her—perhaps even older than Myouga. Inu-Yasha could be older than Myouga? _

            But wait! Inu-Yasha sure didn't look seventy…although she knew most vampires kept their youthful looks until centuries old. Maybe Kikyo was his mortal mother? She could ask him about that later. 

            "I saw him deal the final blow…and as she fell, I saw him raise a hand, and a swarm of vampires covered her body…" Myouga said, his voice trailing off. Then he shook his head hard, as if trying to rid himself of the thought. 

            "Look, spare us the details, old man. Kagome doesn't need to hear it," Inu-Yasha said rather harshly. "I don't either." 

            Look at that, he's thought of you before he thought of his own feelings, Evil Obsessed Kagome sneered. Kagome scowled. _Shut the heck up before I rip you out of there myself. Seriously. Was she going insane? _

            He's looking at you. _He's guilty because he fed on me. _He's looking at you because you guys had a Moment back there, don't deny it. _You're not gonna live to have a next Moment if you don't go away. _How can I go away? I'm you. You're thinking these thoughts. And denying them at the same time. Quite funny, actually. _Arrrgh!_

"See, I think you've stunned her," Miroku's voice brought Kagome back to reality. Everyone was looking at her. Kagome stood up. "You know, I'm sure you and Myouga can talk about a lot of things, you know, about the Inu-kai and stuff. Let me go take a breather outside first." Ducking her head, she left the kitchen into the backyard. 

            Kagome stopped in front of a patch of grass that looked blacker than the others in the night. She knelt down and examined the blades. Her blood had dripped down here, staining the blades red. So much had happened tonight, with Inu-Yasha. She wondered if—

            She shot to her feet, a silver dagger pressed against Naraku's heart. Naraku, who was standing before her with an amused smile on his face. As she wasn't fully recovered, she swayed, but refused to show it, glaring at him the whole while.

Screw her evil self and her Moments. This was her real Moment. She was no longer afraid of him. On the contrary…"I'm ready for you now," she said with a small grin. 


	11. It All Comes Down to This

AN: Phew! One of the longer chapters of the story, I think, but nothing goes on in this one haha I swear. I think I just babbled for the sake of it. Don't worry, like I said, there is a plot. (I think). And, uhm, certain things happen to Miroku, but don't worry, he'll still be in the story, he'll still be a hero, so don't freak over it. But anyways…enjoy the chapter! We'll get to the interesting stuff soon. Promise. 

It All Comes Down to This

Today had been a long day. And it wasn't over yet. This would surely be her glory, the cherry on top of the sundae. She was sick of being the one in distress, the one being munched on by half-vampires. It was time for something positive. 

Naraku smirked. "If that goes through my chest you'll never see your brother again."

            She mirrored his smirk. "I knew it. You're afraid of death. You're thinking up excuses for me to drop the blade." She did no such thing, instead she purified the silver, the glow lighting their faces. 

            "How can I be afraid of death when I am already dead?" 

            "You know what I mean, smart-ass." But Kagome knew it was true. That didn't mean she couldn't prick him a bit, though. And if she was on the right track, and he really wanted her to be his vampire wife or whatever, he wasn't going to hurt her. If he wanted to take her forcibly he would have done so already. As Naraku reached his fingers toward her neck, she nudged the blade closer against his skin.

            "You've been tasted." His tone was menacing. "Who would dare ignore the mark Naraku leaves on his bride? Any vampire knows I can rip him to shreds in barely a breath." 

            She rolled her eyes. "Take a lucky guess. You've known him all along. I had to learn the hard way." 

            Naraku bent his head down and laughed softly. "Inu-Yasha? You are a comedy, Kagome. Do you think you will be happy with Inu-Yasha? Not while he still clings to the past." 

            Kagome narrowed his eyes. "I know all I need to know. And the experience wasn't exactly pleasant, you know. Vampires think pain is pleasure. It's part of your sick lives." 

            Another laugh. Could she slit his throat? "You will not know until you are one of us. Until you are with me. Come, let me broaden your knowledge…" Kagome glared at him fiercely. "Well, if you really know all you need to know, then you know you will not be with him for long." 

            "What do you mean?" 

            "It is for me and Inu-Yasha to know. You know all that you need to know, remember?" Kagome growled inwardly. Naraku played with some strands of her hair. She swiped him away with her other hand. He raised an eyebrow. 

            Kagome put her free hand on her hips. "So here's the situation. Inu-Yasha's going to take us to the Inu-kai castle. I'm going to take back the Shikon Jewel and kill Sesshoumaru. Then I'm coming for you. I'll get my brother back, then I'll kill you. Does that sound okay?" 

            "You will attempt to retrieve the Shikon Jewel?" Again one of Naraku's knowing, mysterious smiles. "Don't worry, it's in safe hands." 

            "I'm sure it is," she rolled her eyes, but the knife did not waver. "Why are you here, anyway?" 

            His smile widened. "I happen to know that no matter how hard you look, you'll never find the Inu-kai castle. You've already been searching for forty years…if you can't find it in that amount of time you'll never find it." 

            "Things are different now. Inu-Yasha knows how to get there," Kagome said levelly. 

            "Does he really?" Naraku leaned forward, so close his long hair brushed Kagome's shoulders. She forced down a shudder. "If he did, then why isn't he here?" 

            Kagome had been prepared for Naraku…or so she thought. She had made herself believe that he wasn't as powerful as she made him seem in her mind. She'd prepared herself for any references he made to that rainy night six years ago. But she hadn't been prepared for this. He kept throwing weird questions at her, mind-boggling questions that she didn't want to dwell too long on in case he took advantage of her distraction. Why couldn't Inu-Yasha get into the castle? He was from there, wasn't he? And who was guarding the jewel? How safe could a vampire's hands be? 

            "I'll tell you something, my little Kagome," Naraku said in a condescending tone. She nudged the blade slivers closer to his chest, glaring up at him with warning eyes. _Don't call me that. _Only Miroku and Inu-Yasha ever called her that, and even they didn't get away from it unscathed. 

            Inu-Yasha…would he realize she was taking such a long time? Would he come out and save her? She shook her head fiercely. He wouldn't dare! This was her fight! Well…maybe not her fight but she needed to face Naraku without his help. 

            "You and your _beloved_—" The sarcasm and humor laced in his tone were so thick Kagome could practically feel it on her face like bad breath "—can search for another hundred years and you will never find the castle. It's hidden in another dimension, and will not appear unless they choose to. Your master has trained you for nothing. You won't get Kikyo's revenge." 

            Here we go, she'd built up her barriers for _this _part. Him telling her she couldn't do it. Him telling her her skills were worthless. But what was that with the dimension thing? Whatever. It was just him messing with her. "There's always a way in. They can't hide forever," she said with a hint of a smile that was only half as confident as it sounded. 

            "You're such a stubborn angel," he murmured, blinking coal black eyes. "How I wish I could just take you with me now." Kagome didn't bother hiding her disgust, and found herself briefly wishing for Inu-Yasha to come quick. Key word being briefly. "But it's true. The only way you can enter is if they open it to you. But fear not," he said, smiling, as she opened her mouth. 

            _Fear?__ Bah. "I have just left the Inu-kai castle, from a conference from their leader. His name is Sesshoumaru. You may have heard of him?" _

            Sesshoumaru. The bastard who killed Kikyo. She'd only heard his name tonight, but the way Myouga had said it, the way Inu-Yasha had said it, she could be facing stronger than she'd ever faced. But was he too strong for her? 

            "He has heard of your little cry for revenge. He has heard of the one who took Kikyo's place. He even knows that you two are almost identical. And he's interested—he's spent the last few days preparing for you, sacrificing humans from his own supply to open the gateway…and it's scheduled to open tonight."

            Kagome was so intent on the first part of his last statement that she almost forgot the last part. "Humans were killed in this?" Her eyes flashed angrily. "How many humans did you kill for this?"  

            He shrugged his shoulders lightly. "It takes much blood to open dimensions," he said, dismissing the matter with a wave of his hand. "I'd say about a quarter of his supply." 

            The girl in front of him was silent. She was so angry she couldn't trust herself to speak. Myouga always said she put her emotions first, and she had to control them when she was fighting. Like Kikyo did. So she remained quiet as she calmed herself. 

            "Did you hear what I said? The gateway is opening tonight. When I give the signal, the castle will appear. The gate cannot be open for long, so I suggest you and Inu-Yasha and whoever is foolish enough to accompany you run fast. I'll be waiting there…as will the Inu-kai." Naraku bared his fangs. "You have a choice now, though. You can go through or abandon your mission. If you go through, I cannot guarantee Inu-Yasha or your allies will remain alive. Most likely they will die. It's all up to Sesshoumaru. But if you come with me now, you will see your brother...but you remain with me forever." 

            Like that was a hard choice. Inu-Yasha wasn't going to die so easily. Myouga had escaped with his life once and he could do it again. "Open the gateway. I'll see you and those bastards on the other side," she said, hoping he could hear the hatred in his voice. 

            He watched her a moment. "Suit yourself. But before I leave, I have something for you." Naraku lifted his arm. Kagome's grip tightened on the knife. He thrust his hand down, and a window in the air appeared before her. Kagome jumped backwards, but it stretched and surrounded her until the backyard melted away and she was in marbled hallway with bright lights hanging over her. 

            She took a wild look around. Behind her it was empty, a hallway stretched towards infinity. But in front…a figure was walking towards her. A small figure, a boy. Maybe ten or eleven, with short brown hair and a look of loneliness. Kagome might have prepared herself for anything Naraku could say to her, but she did not prepare herself for this. "Souta..." she breathed, the words catching in her mouth. She spoke louder. "Souta!" 

            The boy stopped walking and looked up. Kagome waved frantically towards him. He acted as if he didn't see her. Perhaps he couldn't. She watched his eyes glaze over in confusion. "Souta…" she said again. This was her brother. Her knees began to shake. 

            "Oneesan?" he said softly, in a voice still childlike like she remembered. Tears freely falling from her eyes, Kagome sprinted towards him. If he couldn't see her, then she would go to him, and make her presence known. "I'm here, Souta! I've come for you!" 

            She flung her arms around him—and clutched empty space. As she stumbled forward, Souta shivered. Kagome skidded to a stop and turned around, her face pale. She couldn't touch him…she was so close she could see him but she couldn't reach him…Naraku was probably laughing at her somewhere…the window was fading…

            "Souta! Wait for me!" she called out to the boy, who was turning transparent with every second. She could see him turn his head… "I'll come for you! I'll bring you back home!" Then the picture faded completely, and she was in pitch darkness. 

            Her breathing came out in ragged gasps. Souta's soft, "Oneesan?" rang in her mind, over and over. His voice was beautiful to her ears. Naraku had played dirty. Just before the fight, he'd shown her the one sight that could make her break. Somewhere above her, in the blackness, Naraku chuckled softly. "The gate will open soon," he said, his voice washing over Souta's. 

            The tears that poured from her eyes were no longer of happiness or shock, but of anger and frustration. "I hate you," she said simply. 

            "That can be changed. Ah! Now what do I see? Your faithful lap dog has heard you screaming and is coming to the rescue." Again, the sarcastic venom. Naraku took the jealous thing to an extreme. "I'll bring you back now…oh, and tell Inu-Yasha that she is waiting."

            "She? Who is she?" But Kagome was feeling dizzy, as if she were spinning…the darkness was melting…she could see trees—

            "Kagome!" Someone was shaking her shoulders. She focused her eyes and saw Inu-Yasha's gold ones peering with concern. It was at an odd angle, though. She felt something soft on her back and realized she was on the ground. 

            Miroku was standing behind Inu-Yasha. "Wow, what kind of a breather did you take?" he asked. Always tactless in the middle of a disaster. 

            "How'd you know I was here?" Kagome mumbled. 

            "You were screaming 'Souta' over and over again," Inu-Yasha replied. "We came in time to see you fall." 

            _I don't believe this. Inu-Yasha saved me again? No way. No effing way. _Kagome convinced herself that he hadn't really saved her—he'd come only after Naraku had run away. She could have woken up by herself. Therefore, he didn't really do anything. _Yup, I handled the situation fine, _she thought. _I did not get seriously injured. _Then it came crashing back to her. 

            Kagome shot to her feet. "Inu-Yasha! Myouga! The gate! Naraku! The Inu-kai! Now! Here! Souta…" Her world spun for a second and Inu-Yasha held her elbow to steady her. 

            Myouga hopped beside her. "Kagome, slow down. What are you saying?" 

            "Inside," Inu-Yasha said shortly. "She's shaking like mad." He put an arm around her quivering shoulders and pulled her to the warmth of the house. 

            After a cup of Kaede's tea ("No thanks, I don't think I could digest—" "Nonsense, you've obviously been through some trauma, this will calm your nerves…") that did nothing to calm her nerves and instead made her talk super fast, she explained everything to Inu-Yasha and Myouga. Except the 'she is waiting' part. She decided to wait for that one. 

            "So the gate is opening today," Myouga said. Kagome nodded. Myouga looked at Kaede, who stood up and beckoned to Miroku. "Come help me, young man, there's a lot of stuff to carry." Miroku looked confused, but as he was not about to ignore a woman who could sharpen silver arrows to pierce vampires he got up and followed her out of the room. 

            "It feels strange," Myouga continued. "We've been searching for so long, and now it's come to an end. This is where it'll all end." Silence greeted his words. Kagome's hands, which still shook slightly, were wrapped around the tea cup. Inu-Yasha was staring at the knuckles of his hand, lying flat on the table. Myouga stood up. "Excuse me, I'll make a few phone calls. We must gather as many skilled vampire slayers as we can. During our time with Kikyo, we had had a lot more time to prepare. It will be more difficult this time for us." He left the room, and they could hear him speed-dialing everyone on his phone. 

            Kagome's eyes were now dry, but her nose was still a bit red. Inu-Yasha knew she'd been crying. He'd seen her train herself and steel herself for Naraku's next visit, he hadn't known of anything that would've made her break. But then his keen ears had heard her screaming her brother's name, even her ragged sobs as she was trapped in something Naraku had done to her. It made him furious, to think he still had that power over her. But he couldn't let that emotion just spill over. 

            It was a good thing vampire hunters were trained to fight without sleep for up to a week, for this could be a very, very long night. 

            "I saw Souta," Kagome said softly, and Inu-Yasha looked up. "He's so beautiful, but he's all alone. I could hear him, he could hear me, but he couldn't see me, and we couldn't touch." She took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly. "I don't know, I always told myself I would save him, I would get him back, but I never prepared myself for when I actually saw him." She took her hands away from the cup, and they quivered. She laughed softly. "I hope I can aim properly tonight. I have to. Like Myouga said, it all comes down to this." 

            Inu-Yasha reached over the table and placed his hands over hers. "Just relax. Take a few deep breaths." She blushed as much as her pale face would allow it. 

            "…Do you think I can defeat Sesshoumaru?" 

            She saw it in his eyes before he said the word. "No." The image of Sesshoumaru in her head suddenly expanded from a bloodthirsty Inu-Yasha lookalike to a huge Hulk-sized behemoth who was just as ugly with fangs the size of her head and blood dripping down his mouth. He probably growled a lot. And he was smelly, too. She was going to die tonight. 

            "Kikyo couldn't, and she was the best," he said evenly. "But you and me together, yeah. We'll kick his sorry ass to vampire hell. Wherever that is." 

            "We could die tonight." 

            "We won't. We'll storm the place and we'll stake them all, you and me." 

            "That's the second time you said that," Kagome snickered. For awhile the only sounds in the kitchen was the clock on the wall. Then she said, "It sounds good. You and me together." Now the blush was deeper. 

            Inu-Yasha found himself fascinated with the kitchen wall. "Yeah…" his heart beat faster (not that he lived when he was a vampire) as his words trailed off. _What is she implying? Does she mean—_

            "I mean, you know, against Sesshoumaru. I'm not alone," Kagome supplied quickly. Inu-Yasha relaxed, though his heart beat faster than ever. "Oh," he said. 

            "Heh heh. What did you think I meant?" Kagome turned and began a thorough study of her fingernails, not unusual to Inu-Yasha's interest with the wall.   
            Inu-Yasha looked at her as she examined her nails. They were probably about to fight the biggest fight of their lives, and it was possible (no matter how much he tried to convince her—and himself) that they might not make it. Whatever he needed to say he should probably say now. Forget about the past…he couldn't dwell on that forever. "Well, you and me together alone sounds pretty good too," he said in the most casual tone he could muster. Kagome frowned in confusion. "Like, you know. Not against anything. Just…you know?" 

            Kagome looked at him in the eye. She thought of the pictures lying in her bag, the porcelain figurine, how they'd huddled close under mounds of concrete. Could she and Inu-Yasha— "You're saying—" 

            Inu-Yasha smiled. "Tell you what. If, during some time in the fight I have to save your life, you're gonna have to reward me." 

            Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Reward you? In what way?" 

            "Nothing too big. Just maybe…a kiss would do." 

            She was so stunned she broke into laughter. "A kiss? That's it? That's all you what?" But her mind was screaming _hell, yeah! _So loudly she thought he could hear it. 

            His smile turned mysterious. "Yeah. But my way." 

            Why did that sound so good and bad at the same time? "Why can't I kiss you now?" she asked nonchalantly, a flush appearing on her cheeks. _I'm going to kiss him? Did I just ask him if I could kiss him? _Well, this was the 21st century. 

            Inu-Yasha pretended to think about it. Then he leaned forward, his eyes twinkling. "Yeah, sure that would work too." 

            Kagome grinned. She too leaned forward—

            A loud sound nearly made her jump out of her seat. "Ahh, I'm pooped!" Miroku yelled, dropping the rest of the weapons on the kitchen floor. "I didn't think she'd make me carry all that stuff!" He stopped and looked at his two friends, who were considerable closer than they'd been when he'd left them. "Whoops, am I interrupting something?" 

            Kagome leaped out of her chair like a cat whose tail had just been stepped on. "Miroku!" The said person immediately tensed, in case Kagome would let out some of her pre-battle nervousness on him. Instead, she flew into his arms and wrapped her own tightly around his neck. Brushing some of her hair out of his face, Miroku caught Inu-Yasha's slightly twitching gaze. Aw, the guy had nothing to worry about. Kagome was his sister, and he was the brother she never had—well, from the past six years. 

            Kagome, meanwhile, had contemplated killing him for interrupting what could have been the most important moment of her probably soon-to-be-jeopardized life or hugging him because she was so glad to see him. Since she decided she might never see him again, she decided to hug him instead. And say goodbye. 

            Miroku heard the word whispered against his neck, so quietly he wondered if it was just his imagination. But no, she'd actually said "Good-bye." He stepped back from her. "Good-bye? For what?" 

            His best friend looked up at him and smiled, though it seemed stretched. "You're going home now. Obviously this sleepover has been cancelled. We'll see you after…you know, everything…" 

            _I'm going home? _"That's news to me. I thought I was going with you," he said. 

            She looked like he'd just told her he was actually E.T.'s brother and he wanted to 'go home', just not the home she was referring to. "What? You can't come with us. You'll die. This is the Inu-kai, not some dumb demon gang in the alleyway." 

            "Hey, that bit rhymed, die, Inu-kai…" he said. Kagome crossed her arms and he continued. "Look, you think I'd send you off to some other dimension alone with a half-vampire who's probably going back to his kind?" 

            "I object!" Inu-Yasha called out from the table. "That's speculation, I move to strike. And it's mean."

            Kagome slapped her palm against the wall. "Order, order! Miroku, you have been with me longest. You know I can kick butt. I'm not going to be some helpless girl. And I want you to go home to be safe. And if you go, I'll be too worried about you to…concentrate on other things…"  

            Miroku bristled. Oh, he was a hindrance, was he? "Hey, I've seen enough of you training to have picked up a few things of my own. See, look." He picked up an arrow from the pile of weapons he'd dropped and walked to Inu-Yasha. He feinted a stab at Inu-Yasha's shoulder. "Hah!" He turned around and 'stabbed' his other shoulder. "Hah!" He whirled around again and poked at his stomach. Inu-Yasha sucked in his breath, as Miroku was getting closer and closer to not feinting. Then with a last whirl, Miroku let out a karate yell and pretended to punch Inu-Yasha. "There, how's that?" 

            Silence. "Mentally I killed him about four times, what about you?" Inu-Yasha asked. 

            "I got five," Kagome replied. "I managed to squeeze one in during that ridiculous hiii-ya thing." Miroku was crestfallen. "See, this is why I can't take you! Besides, I'll need someone to cover for me to my mother. She'll go nuts if all of us are missing. And you tell better lies, Miroku." 

            That wasn't necessarily true, but she would say anything to crack that stubborn face of his. "You're staying, and that's final." 

            "Hmph. You're not the boss of me," Miroku muttered like a petulant child. 

            Kagome stamped her foot. "Arrgh, if only I had a wand so I could Petrificus-Totalus you or whatever!" she cried. 

            Inu-Yasha perked up. "Oh, you read Harry Potter too? Spanking good novels…" But Kagome shot a withering glare at him. 

            Then he got an idea. _Petrificus Totalus…hm…_ He went to the pile of weapons Miroku had dropped and looked for one thin wooden case that looked like a pencil. "Well, if you say you're going with us, I guess we have no choice but to let you," he sighed. Kagome whirled around, jaw dropped. Inu-Yasha smiled back at her. _Trust me on this one. _

            Miroku frowned. "Really? I won't be in your way?" 

            "Nah, but you have to know the basics. Here, catch." Inu-Yasha threw the case at him. Miroku caught it deftly. "Good, good, agility is one of the traits of a vampire hunter." Kagome had seen what the case was and realization made her smile. 

            "Do you see the little red button on the end?" Miroku turned the case over so the red button was facing away from him. "Good, now press it." 

            As soon as Miroku pressed it, a long needle shot out of the end facing him and dug into his shoulder. He shouted out and pulled the needle from his skin, but the damage had already been done. His arm grew limp, and past his shoulder, to his neck, down his torso, till he was almost stiff all over. 

            "Rule number one," Inu-Yasha said. "Never do something without knowing what's going to happen. The person you trust the most could turn and take advantage."

            "Yeah, we all know _that_," Kagome muttered, rubbing her neck.

            "An experiment of Kaede's," Inu-Yasha explained, ignoring Kagome. "After Myouga suggested it. A needle coated with paralyzing solution, which not surprisingly is made from some of her tea ingredients. You won't be able to move for a day at least. Not enough to kill a vampire, but enough to render him useless." 

            "We're really sorry, Miroku," Kagome said. Miroku could only glare with his eyes. "It's for your own good. We just want you to be safe. And you know you hate gross sights." She started to reason with him some more, but then a loud crack and flash of light made her stop. 

            After the crack, there was a dull roar that grew louder with each passing second. Through the window, light like rapid lightning flashed. Kagome felt her stomach plummet as she looked at Inu-Yasha. This was it. The gate that people had unwillingly sacrificed their lives for. Now was the time. 

            The window flew open with a loud bang as Myouga ran into the room. "Grab your weapons!" he shouted, throwing them two belts with large pouches and straps. "Fill this with what you need—you'll need more than a sword and an arrow!" Then he practically dove into the pile of weapons. 

            Kagome and Inu-Yasha scrambled through the pile, pulling out silver daggers, stakes, a couple of cases of the paralyzing stuff (with Miroku glaring nearby). Kagome pulled out a sword and a strip of chain, like the weapons she'd used against Falcon, and tied them to her belt. As she slid each weapon into strap, she purified it so her belt glimmered. Lastly she grabbed her steel bow and quiver of silver arrows and stood up. When she looked at Inu-Yasha  his belt was full, too, and he clutched his full-formed Tetsusaiga in both hands.  

            The three of them ran outside the house and burst onto the street. The tiredness after holding up concrete or suffering from loss of blood or seeing her brother again left Kagome, and pure adrenaline—maybe with a tinge of nervousness—swooped in. Her heart was pounding furiously, faster than her steps on the gravel road. 

            A silver car skidded to a stop just a few meters ahead of them. Falcon, Takada, and three other vampire slayers leapt out of it and began running alongside the trio. 

            Kagome turned to Takada, who was holding something silver in his hand. "A gun, you brought a gun? How's that going to help?" 

            Takada grinned and held it up. "Silver bullets. Watch them drop like flies." 

            "Ohhh. Smart." Why hadn't she thought of that? Maybe she could upgrade to a machine gun sometime. No, not the time to think about that. 

            The gate was actually what looked like a rip in the air, a few blocks from where they were. It was a blinding white, occasionally sending out flashes of lightning. It was windy. And noisy. Typical of any gate leading into another dimension. 

            "You know, this could be plastered all over the internet anytime soon," Inu-Yasha commented as he caught up with Kagome. 

            "You know, I don't friggin' care!" Kagome snapped. She couldn't be nice right now, her stomach was jumping, newly infused blood rushing through her limbs, and she was about to fight the fight of her life. She could apologize later. If there was a later. 

            "This is it!" Myouga shouted, as they drew nearer. He had to raise his voice over the noise. "Everyone get ready!" 

            "Um…what are we supposed to do?" Takada asked warily while still running full speed toward the gate. 

            Falcon rolled her eyes. "You jump in, of course," she said. As if to prove her point, she nudged Kagome's shoulder with her elbow. "Go on, you show him." 

            _Oh yeah, like I'm supposed to know? _But she was the one expected to get Kikyo's revenge, so she may as well go first. _I hope I don't get electrocuted. That would be rich. _Kagome shot ahead of the group, bow clasped under one arm. She couldn't look at the gate directly, so she bent her head downwards, covering her head with her arms. 

            _Don't think, just jump. _Kagome was so near the gate now she could feel its warmth. _Don't think, just jump. Kagome ran faster, then braced her legs to jump. __Oh, shit! She leapt off the ground and into the portal, and immediately it sucked her inside. _

            It felt as if she were in a vacuum, and she couldn't scream because she couldn't breathe. She whirled and spun like clothes in a washing machine. Lightning cracked around her. Someone from behind crashed into her and catapulted both of them forwards even faster than they had before. 

            Suddenly they shot out of the portal and onto grass. Kagome skidded hard across the ground, her chin making a nice deep line through the dirt. The person who'd hit her rolled a few meters away from her, but even he hit he ground hard. 

            More thumps followed after cracks of lightning. She dimly thought she heard Myouga curse. A huge thump that made the ground shake. That must have been Takada. And someone—she couldn't put a name to it—muttered "Oof!" as they fell on the grass. 

            Forget about the fight…she was wiped out already…

            Inu-Yasha forced himself off the ground, rearranging the weapons on his belt. "I hope the return trip home's a bit nicer," he muttered. Meters away Kagome was lying face down. He went over to her and pushed her shoulder. "Kagome? Kagome? Get up! Look where we are." 

            She mumbled a bit. Inu-Yasha turned her over and brushed the dust off her face. She blinked, squinting up at him. "Did anyone get the number of that truck?" 

            Inu-Yasha cringed. "That would be me...sorry." He'd tried hard to dodge her, but you couldn't really control yourself when spinning through a vortex to another dimension. He grabbed her hands and pulled her up. 

            Kagome moaned and slumped forward into his chest. Inu-Yasha pushed her upright again. "Kagome, if you don't stop acting weak I'm gonna slap you." 

            Kagome's head jerked upwards. "You slap me I kill you," she said. 

            He patted her cheek. "That's the attitude we wanna see, Kagome-chan," he smirked. She scowled at him. "Save it for the battle. Did you even bother to look where we are?" 

            She stopped and looked around her, her jaw slowly dropping as her eyes drank in the sight. 

            The sky looked almost like early sunrise, but if this was the vampire realm then they wouldn't have sun. It was deep black, with streaks of red that swirled like dark clouds. The grass was dry and almost dead, and the field that led to the castle was practically barrenlands. 

            The castle itself looked like a traditional Japanese castle, except much bigger and darker. Lights twinkled behind the paper screens, but they couldn't see within it. Even from far away, they could hear voices, like sinister laughing. 

            "Home sweet home," Inu-Yasha said dryly. "It hasn't changed a bit." His face looked hard. Kagome remembered Naraku saying 'She is waiting.' She couldn't tell Inu-Yasha now…they'd find out anyway. 

            "No, it hasn't," Myouga agreed, his voice catching. 

            "They're expecting us," Kagome said. "Let's go." 

            The other vampire slayers picked themselves up from the ground. They all looked at Kagome. She swallowed and reached for an arrow behind her back. As she purified the silver, she stepped forward and led the way, Inu-Yasha almos beside her, but not quite. 

            Halfway past the field Kagome had reviewed what she was supposed to do. Kill Sesshoumaru, therefore avenging Kikyo, take the Shikon no Tama, then reclaim Souta. She could do that easy. 

            Something inside her made her break into a run, energy pumping through her veins. Behind her everyone else started sprinting. Kagome shot up the steps to the castle, her heartbeat growing louder the closer she reached the paper door. Inu-Yasha rushed ahead of her and pulled out Tetsusaiga. With a loud cry, he slashed at the door, the screen ripping open. She ran through it, then stopped when she was inside. 

            She was above what looked like a huge ballroom. Chandeliers hung on the ceiling and torches flickered on the walls. But that wasn't what got her attention. 

            The room was filled with vampires, who were all looking at her now. Some looked like the demon gangs in the alleyways, but others looked elegantly dressed. Which was weird. _These monsters are murderous, evil. They need to be killed. _

            On a platform at the other side of the room two men sat. One of them was Naraku, smiling at her from below. The other was a tall, cold man with long silver hair and narrowed gold eyes. He was no doubt Sesshoumaru, the leader of the Inu-kai. So much for the ugly Hulk-man. 

            She had an idea of what she must look like to them. A new Kikyo, standing before them, ready to fight like the battle 50 years ago, armed with arrows and ready to finish them off. 

            She smiled widely. This was it. She would give it all she had. Kagome leaped into the air and fell toward the crowd below. Revenge was hers. 


	12. Jewel and Stone

            AN: Hah! I updated within the week! Thanks for those reviews, you guys, they really helped. I might not get the next chapter out as quickly, because I didn't have it all planned in my head like this one. Anyway, just wanted to say that many of you might not like some parts in the story, and I don't want to spoil it for you, so I'll just add something in the end. Well, enjoy the chapter. I really hope you do. 

Jewel and Stone

            Kagome landed on a vampire and stabbed him with her arrow. He dissolved into ashes, which made the other vampires cry out angrily. One of them leapt in the air towards her, but she shot the arrow at him. A spray of dust showered on them. 

            Gunfire erupted from one corner of the room. Takada was now shooting at any vampire that was in his way. Falcon was expertly dueling with a fancily dressed vampire. The others they had gathered were using whips, swords, and stakes. 

            Inu-Yasha was slashing up vampires as quickly as they swarmed towards him. He cut a path and headed for Kagome. "How are you doing?" he asked as they fought back to back. 

            Kagome concentrated on gathering up her power in her fist. Quickly she whirled around and slapped her palm against his blade. Her power scurried from her fingers to the blade, and it glowed white. Inu-Yasha thrust the newly-purified blade into a vampire's chest and said, "Thanks." 

            "No problem." Kagome coolly sideswiped a vampire who lashed out at her, and skewered him with a wooden stake. For every one she killed, it seemed like five more came to take its place. Obviously the Inu-kai had prepared. No matter, she had prepared as well. 

            Kagome tugged the chains from her belt and threw it up at a chandelier. It curled around the top part, and Kagome pulled herself up the chain. Already vampires began to climb after her. From this point she could shoot at almost any vampire in the room. 

            She aimed towards the two men sitting calmly, more specifically Sesshoumaru, who was watching the battle as if it happened every day. She released the arrow. It flew through the air in a straight line, but it stopped abruptly as Sesshoumaru's hand shot out and caught the handle. 

            Her eyes widened, and the chandelier began to creak. A vampire who'd successfully climbed up grabbed her leg, and she kicked him off. Finally the chandelier broke loose, and fell towards the ground. Kagome leapt off it in a forward flip, and landed meters away from the two men. 

            She straightened and smiled at Sesshoumaru, purposely ignoring Naraku. He wasn't her fight yet. "Hello, Sesshoumaru." 

            A vampire who broke from the swarm ran towards her from behind. She sensed his presence and promptly spiked him with her arrow without looking behind. No one was to interrupt this fight. Sesshoumaru watched her with cold gold eyes, his fangs protruding slightly from his chiseled lips. "You do look like Kikyo…" 

            "Astute observation," Kagome said. An eyebrow raised. Man, she and Inu-Yasha may hate the Inu-kai, but they sure had good genes. "I'm just finishing what she started." 

            Sesshoumaru snorted softly. "If that is what you wish to believe." He rose from his chair and walked toward her. "You look just like Kikyo…and you will die like her as well…" Then he disappeared. 

            Kagome had barely enough time to pull out her sword before Sesshoumaru appeared in her face, bearing a blade down on her. Her hands shook with trying to keep him off of her. "This time you will die," she hissed at him. 

            Sesshuomaru disappeared again. This time Kagome spun around and dodged the blade Sesshoumaru attempted to thrust through her chest. She pulled a dagger from her belt and hurled it at him. He caught it like he caught her arrow. 

            When he dropped it, she saw the faint red marks on his palm. They didn't look like they hurt him much. "You forget I am not like other vampires here, Kikyo," he said, sneering slightly. 

            "Yeah?" she said, fighting to keep herself under control. "You forget that I'm not Kikyo!" She lunged at him with the sword, and they began dueling. 

            Whenever she could, Kagome added layers of power to her blade. Whenever she did that, each time their blades met a jarring force ran through her. She was meeting his strength. She could see the look in his eyes as he realized she wasn't doing this just because she looked like Kikyo. They danced around the battle of vampires and slayers, slamming into walls and leaping out of the frenzy their blades created. 

            He was no doubt the toughest vampire she had ever faced, aside from Naraku. Kagome could feel the paper-thin slices on her arms and on her clothes whenever she barely got out of the way. Probably the most she could do to him was give him a little haircut…

            Kagome grabbed an arrow and threw it at him, and once again he caught it. As soon as his fingers curled around the handle she hurled a second one at him. The tip buried into his shoulder and smoke started hissing and rising into the air. Sesshoumaru merely looked at it. "Hmph…you are as foolish as Kikyo, though." Calmly he pulled the arrow off, even though blood dripped down his shoulder. "That won't hurt me." Then in quick succession he threw the arrows back at her. She quickly swung her sword around to block them off. As she did so, Sesshoumaru appeared in front of her and with his sword cut off her belt. He draped it across his blade and flung it practically across the room. 

            _Oh, yeah, things just got a lot better, _Kagome thought dismally, bracing herself for the next attack. 

*          *          *

            Inu-Yasha slashed at a vampire that didn't look like any of his kin and ran through the crowd of vampires and slayers battling it out. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Kagome and Sesshoumaru fighting with swords, Kagome too close to be using her arrows. He seriously hoped she was okay—he knew firsthand how vicious Sesshoumaru could be: his half-brother had not taken well to a mortal being part of the family. 

            He didn't walk more than five steps when he tripped over something. "Oof!" His face smashed on the marble floor. When he looked up, he was eye-to-eye with what looked like a child with a tail with intensely glaring green eyes. 

            "Shippou!" he snarled, getting to his feet and grabbing the kid by the collar of his shirt. "What the hell are you doing here?" 

            "Funny, I was going to ask the same question!" Shippou retorted. "Didn't you run away after the last one with whatshername—" 

            Inu-Yasha shook him hard. "You're still an annoying blabbermouth, I see," he muttered. A vampire turned and bared his fangs at them. Inu-Yasha staked him into oblivion. 

            Shippou was the youngest Inu-kai member. He was actually a cross between the Inu-kai clan and the Kitsune-kai, but they had been wiped out by the vampire hunters known as the Thunder Brothers (relatives of Takada the Blue Lightning, of course). Inu-Yasha's mother had taken him in out of pity (another reason why Sesshoumaru hated her) and he'd stayed ever since. If there was one thing Inu-Yasha and Sesshoumaru agreed on it was Shippou…he was such a brat. "So what the hell are you doing here? If you don't mind, I'm trying to kill my family here." 

            "That's why I'm here! To fight you! I can't believe you'd betray your family like this!" Then Shippou leapt into his head and wreaked havoc on his hair, gnawing and scratching whenever he could. Inu-Yasha reached above and grabbed him, hanging him by the tail. 

            "Maybe you weren't there when they were trying to kill me," Inu-Yasha said snidely, shaking him hard. "And I can't believe you're still shrimpy, after all these years. Did your clan have like a growth disfunction or is it just you?" 

            Shippou tried to look as dignified as possible while hanging upside down. "I was there, Inu-Yasha," he said. "I was there when they were after _her—" _

            Inu-Yasha pulled out the paralyzing case and shot the needle into Shippou's forehead. "Whatever. You still piss me off." He tossed the frozen kitsune over his shoulder and pulled his Tetsusaiga out again. He had to keep killing all these bastards till there were none left. 

*          *          *

            Sesshoumaru could smell a human. Not any of his supply, nor any of the vampire hunters. He could smell someone lurking by the entrance. Sesshoumaru did not like intruders, especially human ones. But first he had to deal with the girl. 

            She was strong, definitely. Though he'd made light of her attacks, the wounds on his palms and shoulders burned even now. She did have immense power like Kikyo's, yet there was something in her eyes that Kikyo did not have—passion. Though he had cut most of her weapons away, she still stood there with her sword in hand and bow at her back. The aura flowing around her was incredible. Now he could almost see why Naraku desired her so much, although (insert derisive snort here) she was still human, and to desire after a human was still disgraceful. 

            Like the one at his door…he just couldn't get it out of his mind. 

            Then the girl…Kagome, Naraku said her name was…spoke. "Where is the Shikon no Tama?" 

            Sesshoumaru allowed his eyebrow to arch maybe half a millimeter. "The Shikon no Tama? Is that what you're here for?" 

            "That's one of the things," she said, her voice cold.

            "People have died for this jewel, your predecessor included. Are you sure you want to follow in their footsteps?"   

            "Blah blah blah…the Shikon no Tama doesn't belong to you. Besides, it probably does more harm to you now that you can't touch it." And Kagome smiled a little. 

            How did she know that? Perhaps that ugly old man had told her. But it was true, Kikyo had purified the jewel so strongly none of the Inu-kai had managed to taint the damn thing yet. She had covered the jewel with her holy protection…and she still was. 

            Kagome, meanwhile, was frantically thinking up another idea. He had cut away her belt, so she had nothing save her sword. Slowly, while maintaining eye contact with the vampire lord, she slid her hand into her pocket. She felt pieces of lint and groaned inwardly. Oh sure, she could stuff them in his nose and try to make him sneeze his brains out…

            Her fingers touched something solid. Something round. Kagome narrowed her eyes, then they widened as she realized what they were. 

            _"Miroku!" she shouted, swiping his hand away. "I am _not _keeping your dumb jawbreakers in my pants! They'll melt and get all gross!" _

_            "They're jawbreakers, they don't melt!" he protested. "I don't have pockets and you do. And you shouldn't put down jawbreakers like that. These babies can save your life, you know." _

_            She rolled her eyes. "Yes, if a bullet shoots into my pants pocket or if my body is suddenly drained of unhealthy sugar then they will be extremely useful. Thanks for nothing." _

Okay, so she had jawbreakers. That was cool, if she could somehow pry Sesshoumaru's mouth open and shove it in so he couldn't bite anyone. How were freakin' jawbreakers supposed to work? Kagome's mind rushed around, trying to find something…

            "You seem to be at doubts," Sesshoumaru spoke, watching her with slight amusement. "Shall I assist in ending your indecision?" 

            _Assist..indecision__…no, nothing helped there. She could keep him talking and maybe she'd find something out of him…maybe how to get out was a good place to start… "You know, that portal is one hell of a ride," she said casually. "Do you have anything less bumpy on the ride home?" _

            He looked at her coolly. "You are deluded, if you think you will ever return home," he said with a hint of a scoff. 

            _Delusion…return…__home…return…Kagome's mind rested on return. And for some reason she thought of The Returners, a cool Japanese movie she had seen with Myouga and Takada after a hard weekend of training. The main guy, Takeshi something or other, he was hot…but that was not what she was supposed to be thinking now…the girl who'd come for the future....how'd she get him to obey her? _

            _"Don't take that off!" she screamed, pointing at his neck. "If you try to it will explode!" _

_            "Hah…how do you expect me to believe you?" _

_            She stared at him, then went to the table and taped another tiny bomb to the surface of a beer bottle. She held up a tiny remote—the bomb detonator, high for him to see. "This button detonates your explosive, but I'm pressing the other one. Now…watch carefully!" She pressed the button. _

_            The bottle exploded, sending shards of glass flying across the room. _

A smile itched to spread across her face, but she wouldn't let Sesshoumaru see that. Kagome allowed herself another four seconds to skip ahead to a later part of the movie…

            _He stared, bewildered, at the 'bomb' he had accidentally pulled off, the one that hadn't detonated. "Then what is this?" _

_            "Oh!" the girl pulled out a packet from her bag and showed it to him. "It's drugstore samples. Someone gave them to me." _

_            "Then why…how…" _

_            The girl smiled. "Look, look…" _

            Kagome's fingers curled around one of the jawbreakers. If she couldn't kill him directly she could still stave him off for awhile…she could do this…She slid her hand out of her pocket, making sure to keep the jawbreaker hidden from sight. She held up her sword with her other hand. "Another round, Sesshoumaru?" 

            She shot at him, and once more their blades clashed. She moved into the main battle, she and Sesshoumaru zipping past the other vampires. She was inching towards Takada, who was shooting right and left. He had a spare gun on his belt, which Kagome nudged out of its holster. She saw him glance sideways at her, and she gave him a look that said _trust me._

Sesshoumaru did nothing. Guns had not defeated him before and they would not now. Let her try, she was defeated anyway.She didn't notice that Sesshoumaru was moving closer and closer to the door.

Kagome didn't want to try and skewer him with a sword. She wanted him to open his mouth. That meant screaming. Or at least a growl of pain. But what would make a vampire lord growl with pain? He'd obviously shown her blows hadn't done anything to him…

            As she danced out of the way, a few strands of his silver hair brushed her face. This time she allowed herself to grin. Sesshoumaru might be a vampire lord, but long hair was still attached to the scalp, and it would bring tears to anyone's eyes if she pulled on it. Kagome dropped her sword and reached out, grabbing a coil of his hair. She wound it around her wrist and tugged—hard. Sesshoumaru clenched his teeth, but Kagome pulled harder, and eventually his mouth widened to a growl. 

            With her other hand Kagome threw the jawbreaker towards his face—and it flew inside his mouth. She quickly released his hair as he reeled back, choking, perhaps the most undignified moment of his life. 

            At the sound of him gasping, the fighting around them froze. The Inu-kai turned to look at their master, faces growing paler than they already were. Was this the end of Sesshoumaru? 

            _Swallow…_Kagome urged, her hands curling into fists. _Swallow, you bastard…_

            With a gulp, Sesshoumaru forced the jawbreaker down his throat. _Yes! I've got you now! _While he was still recovering, Kagome picked up her sword again. She straightened the blade, and move to drive it deep within his dead heart—

            —And stopped it a centimeter away from Miroku's heaving one. 

            Kagome's heart beat painfully against her ribs as her fingers numbed with shock. She had almost killed her best friend. Her best friend who was not supposed to be here. "What—are—you—doing—here?" she asked shakily. "I told you it was dangerous! Didn't I? And you are supposed to be paralyzed!" 

            Miroku's eyes slid towards Sesshoumaru, whose claws were digging painfully into his shirt. At the last moment, Sesshoumaru had pulled him from his hiding place and held him in front of Kagome's blade. The Inu-kai lord was devoid of emotion except coldness and disdain. "I…well, I've been forced to drink Kaede's tea for so long my body must have developed an immunity to the paralyzing stuff…" he forced out. "So I just followed you." 

            "Ah…and do you like what you see?" Kagome said harshly. "Maybe next time you'll listen, instead of putting yourself and others in danger. Oh wait, there won't be a next time!" She had to be harsh toward him—she felt angry and confused and terrified that she'd almost skewered him—that he'd been in the way. "Sesshoumaru, get him out of here. This fight is between you and me." 

            His eyes glittered. "How strong are you, slayer? How strong is your hatred for me? Would you go through this disgraceful coward to kill me, or will you turn your back on your duties? I'm interested to see." And his grip on Miroku did not waver. 

            _Hey! No one calls Miroku a disgraceful coward except for me! _Kagome thought angrily. But in her other hand she cocked the pistol. There was an audible click to the silent room. 

            "You get him out of here or I'll kill you right now." 

            If it weren't too out of character, Sesshoumaru probably would have laughed. "Kill me? You've been trying for the entire night" 

            "Aren't you even wondering what I put down your throat?" she asked, letting him see the big, triumphant smile she had on her face. As she said this, she slid her hand with the gun casually behind her back. His features froze. "It's a programmed sphere with purified silver within it. One snap of my fingers, and it deactivates, sending a spray of molten silver through your body, causing instant combustion." She saw his eyes narrow slightly, though his expression did not change. "Isn't science wonderful?" And she leaned against the wall, basking in the amazement of the crowd—including Inu-Yasha.         

            "Of course, I do not believe you. Only defeated ones resort to desperate lying." 

            Kagome raised her eyebrow. "And of course, you want proof. I can give it to you. You," she pointed at the first vampire she saw, "Come here." 

            He glared at her insolently, until Falcon behind him kicked him so he stumbled in front of the slayer. "What do you want, bit—" His words were muffled as Kagome crammed a jawbreaker in his mouth and forced him to swallow it. 

            "Now…" Kagome lifted her free hand high in the air, so everyone could see. "Because this silver bomb is closer to me, it will detonate instead of Sesshoumaru's. Observe." She snapped her fingers and shot the vampire at the same time. He exploded, dusting her with ashes. 

            She turned her head to Sesshoumaru, whose lips had tightened. "I will not hurt Miroku by doing this. Ashes never hurt anyone…anyone human, that is." Miroku audibly let out a breath of relief.

            From the crowd someone laughed harshly. "I can't believe the great Sesshoumaru is hiding behind a human. You've really reached the most pathetic moment of your life." 

            Inu-Yasha jostled his way through the crowd and made his way to Kagome. The look he gave Sesshoumaru was dark and filled with hatred. The feeling was mutual. When Sesshoumaru looked at Kagome, it was with disdain and superiority. But with Inu-Yasha, it was really hatred. He bared a sliver of his fangs toward his half-brother. If he'd looked that way toward Kagome, she most probably would have been dead by now. 

            "Ever the coward, I see…you didn't want to show up until you were convinced I was unable to fight back," Sesshoumaru said amusedly. "Just like before." 

            Inu-Yasha fell for his taunt. "I didn't go after you because I know Kagome can do it!" he snapped. 

            "I suppose you believed that with Kikyo as well," Sesshoumaru said. "Your persistence…and stupidity…is astounding." 

            Kagome was confused. If Kikyo wasn't Inu-Yasha's mother, then who was she? She was starting to get an aching feeling in her stomach, and she felt heavier, as if her body already knew the answer but her mind hadn't accepted it yet. 

            "She is not Kikyo," Inu-Yasha said through gnashed teeth. "And this isn't like last time, because this time we win." 

            "You win," Sesshoumaru repeated, as if the words were strange on his tongue. "If that is so, then what is it you want? To kill me? The slayer only has to snap her fingers. To kill the clan? You're doing a good job of that already." 

            "We're going to do both things," Kagome said. "Eventually. No sense in rushing things. But first we want the Shikon no Tama." 

            The idea of a human giving him orders was nauseating to Sesshoumaru, but he didn't let it show. Besides, let them think they had the upper hand, the tables were going to turn in just one minute. "If you want the Shikon no Tama, I can easily show it to you. The only problem is what you will do once you see it." 

            The sinking feeling grew deeper in Kagome's stomach. Like many other occasions before, she felt torn apart. Half of her wanted the jewel, to use it against these despicable vampires, but the other half didn't want to, because the corners of Sesshoumaru's mouth were tugging slightly, and at the other side of the room Naraku was openly smiling, and that meant something was wrong…

            "Naraku," Sesshoumaru said in a loud tone, "Please bring out the Shikon no Tama." 

            "Certainly," the vampire responded. He went behind the chairs they'd been sitting in, where a wooden door was practically hidden from view. With great drama, he sliced the lock on the door with a sword and slid it open. A girl fell into his arms. 

            Kagome could feel Inu-Yasha freeze next to her, and that aching feeling just turned into a stone ball in the pit of her stomach. 

            Naraku half escorted, half dragged the girl into view. Kagome heard Myouga's ragged breath as he inhaled sharply, and knew it was true. It was impossible, everyone knew, but she was here. Kikyo.

            She had long black hair, much longer than Kagome's shoulder length hair, and it flowed around her shoulders to her waist. Her face was pale, as if she were a vampire, but instinct told Kagome she was not. Something glowed at Kikyo's chest, a small white ball. That must be the Shikon no Tama. Her hands, which lay limply at her sides, were bruised and bleeding. A few drops of blood dripped to the floor. 

            Naraku smiled at the hunters' shocked faces. "Here is the Shikon no Tama. Do you like what you see?" he asked, using the words Kagome had used before. "Well, Inu-Yasha?"

            Only now did Kagome make herself look at Inu-Yasha. He looked as if—well, as if he'd seen someone come back from the dead. His face was chalk-white, the lips she'd come so close to kissing opening and closing soundlessly. His eyes were wide, absorbing the sight. He was shaking. Kagome wanted to put her arms around him, to stop him from shaking, but she couldn't do that anymore. It had all changed. 

            Naraku picked up a thin wrist and held Kikyo's arm up for all to see, but mostly for Inu-Yasha's eyes. "As soon as she heard the commotion she was desperate to get out. I could hear her scratching and clawing for quite awhile. She must love you very much." 

            "Get away from her. Don't _touch her," Inu-Yasha growled, and Kagome shuddered. He sounded dangerous, and ready to lose control at any minute. _

            She couldn't look at him anymore. She spun around and saw, past Miroku's stunned face, Sesshoumaru staring back at her. "How is this possible?" she hissed, fearing her voice would crack if she spoke louder. 

            "I need not tell you of the Shikon no Tama's powers…and the power of vampires," Sesshoumaru replied. 

            "We need to settle this." 

            "Oh? And how do you plan to do that? Another fight?" 

            A fight was out of the question. Inu-Yasha was in no position to fight now, and if he did he might be injured or worse. No one could fight now…they were all too stunned. "No," she said. "We can't fight. I have something over you and you still have one of my friends. Currently we are at stalemate. We talk." 

            "Talk. An original approach." Sesshoumaru nodded curtly. "Very well, we'll talk. Take who you want and follow me." Still with a grip on Miroku, he turned and walked around the room to a door on the other side. 

            Kagome turned to Inu-Yasha. "Are you coming?" she asked, keeping her eyes on the floor. 

            At the same time, Naraku turned and was following Sesshoumaru. "Kikyo!" Inu-Yasha shouted, running through the throng to reach them. Naraku looked back and smirked. When Inu-Yasha was close, Naraku pushed the vampire hunter towards him. The last view Kagome allowed herself to take before leaving was of Kikyo falling against Inu-Yasha, and his hands pulling her tightly to him. 

*          *          *

            They must have talked for two hours. Kagome was not alone, for Myouga and Falcon had broken out of their trances and accompanied her. Naraku had gone in with Sesshoumaru. First they had established a rough truce—Sesshoumaru would not hurt Miroku if Kagome did not activate the silver bomb. Each side did not trust the other's word, yet each side insisted they were bound to their word. 

            Then there was that problem with Souta…Naraku proposed Kagome be given time to think about the options he would lay out in front of her if she wanted Souta…so Kagome had agreed to remain and think about it before actually fighting him. 

            Then there was that whole thing with the Shikon no Tama…Kagome was certain Kikyo would hand it over, and she could escape with them, but Sesshoumaru revealed that Kikyo might not be so willing, and neither would Inu-Yasha, because the Shikon no Tama kept Kikyo alive as well as making her untouchable to any vampiric harm. They had to sort that whole thing out as well. Sesshoumaru also commented on his desire to kill Inu-Yasha, which Kagome protested against. Hence was their next truce—they weren't to harm each other until either Kikyo made a choice or Kagome made a choice from Naraku's list. Also, even had Kagome wanted to go back to the human world, she would never let more humans die to do so. Sesshoumaru didn't want her to leave either, but that's because he thought he had a potential deadly weapon in his belly and he wanted it out before she left. 

            "I suppose that makes you guests," Sesshoumaru said when they neared the end of their discussion. 

            _Hostile guests, at the least, _Kagome thought. Sarcastically she asked, "Does that mean you won't be throwing us in the dungeons?" 

            Sesshoumaru chose to ignore that. "You'll be given rooms, as guests often are. Our…_truce…will be announced immediately. Now that that is settled, leave my sight immediately. I have seen and smelled enough human for one night." He ever so slightly pressed against Miroku's shoulder, and it sent him flying across to the vampire hunters. _

            Kagome clenched her fist. Since she couldn't hurt him, she could be rude right back. "Of course we'll get rooms, that is if this grungy castle has any that are decent. And if you don't like the scent, well tough, I'll be making sure you smell it everyday." Okay, that sounded a bit weird, but maybe a fierce glare would neutralize things, so she sent him one and flounced out of the room flanked by Myouga, Falcon, and Miroku. 

            Almost immediately, (do these people have telekinesis?) four vampires came to take them to their own rooms. The female vampire escorting Kagome stopped at the end of a long hallway. "This is your room," she said with fake pleasantry, although Kagome's ears heard _Go jump off a cliff. "Sweet dreams." __Go jump off a cliff. _

            Kagome stretched her mouth into the biggest, most fake smile she could muster. "You too," she said sweetly. _Go impale yourself, bitch.  _

            When she entered her room, her jaw dropped. Canopy bed, big thick fur carpets, silver dressing table, the works. It was hard to believe this was decorated by a bloodthirsty demon. But those thoughts sailed out of her head as she tromped to the bed and sprawled across it, face buried against the pillow. 

            She wanted to forget everything, even just for a night. She forgot she was in another world, fighting a vampire she couldn't defeat, she forgot how Souta looked and sounded, she forgot Inu-Yasha's face when he saw her predecessor standing next to her enemy, she forgot how Kikyo looked, a more beautiful and powerful version of herself, she forgot the image of them together, bodies pressed against each other's, she forgot she had responsibilities, she forgot she was Kagome, and just drifted off into the deepest, dreamless sleep of a person exhausted to the bone.   


            AN: Okay, many of you predicted the Kikyo thing, but I just wanted to say this before getting pelted with various items. I know many of you think Kikyo's a bitch and she must die, but I am not going to portray her that way in this fic. In my Royal Pain fic, I did portray her as this squealing evil bitch, but I want her to actually be someone likable here. And she might not be likable at first, because of her and Inu-Yasha's past, but just like in the series, they actually were in love in the past and I don't want Inu-Yasha to be in love with some horrible woman. So I'm gonna challenge myself—I'm going to try and make you guys like her in the end! ^_^;;; I can practically see the glares. **This fic is definitely IY/Kagome, **or else it wouldn't say so in the summary. So please don't tell me that she's a slut and I should kill her off immediately. She won't be evil, either. But then again I'm babbling, so I'll just work on getting the next chapter out ASAP to clarify things. Bye bye! 


	13. Aftermath

AN: I just want to say THANKS to everyone who reviewed chapter 12 (even though some responses were like "Kikyo? Ewww!") for some reason I was nervous about you guys' reactions ^_^;; And thanks to everyone who reviewed this fic more than once, like (I'm just naming off the top of my head here) **Lita**** Avalon, Final Spirit, Mystical Dreamer, Reina1, squeakyinuears, SakuraSpring and Silver Dragon 2488. I know there are more, and I'm sorry for not remembering, but all your reviews helped. Thanks! ^^ (Okay must stop before I get all delusional and start practicing my Academy Award speech…again. .) This chapter was really hard to write in the beginning (because of the Inu-Yasha/Kikyo thing…first time writing her not as an evil conniving bitch) but it got easier in the end because…yes, Final Spirit, Miroku's journey to greatness has started! *Trumpets* Well, not really, but you get the drift. ^^ I'm really going to stop babbling now, so just enjoy the fic. **

Aftermath

            The room, which had been filled with vampires the night before, was now silent and empty, save for two people. 

            When Inu-Yasha woke up the first thing he thought of was vampires, so it was no surprise when he jerked up and his heart began to beat faster than a maniac on a drum. After all, when he'd gone to sleep holding Kikyo against his chest, he'd been surrounded by them. 

            Before he even finished that thought he'd begun to think of Kikyo. Now he was aware of the light, breathing bundle in his arms. That was slightly disturbing. Kikyo died five years ago—she wasn't supposed to be breathing. And she looked too good to be a resurrected corpse. So how was she alive? Why was she alive? 

            As if she'd known he was thinking about her (or maybe she'd heard the loud pounding in his chest) Kikyo stirred against his chest. Inu-Yasha's heart gave another painful thump. She leaned back, eyes still closed, and yawned. Inu-Yasha's eyes dropped down to her chest, where the Shikon no Tama rested, glowing softly. 

            She opened her eyes. The first thing she said was, "My hands hurt." 

            Inu-Yasha took her hands from his shoulders. The wounds had clotted, but her hands were still covered in dried gnashes, and her fingertips were still bruised and her nails split. He didn't know what to do. Before, what would he have done? Did he even do anything for her back then?

            Kikyo stared at him, and he stared back. Her eyes were still the same. Deep, and cool, piercing yet shadowed, no blackened—I'm-a-possessed-zombie going on anywhere. _How tugged the back of his mind, but he didn't want to think about it too much. If he did, she might just disappear. _

            Kikyo dropped one of her wounded hands into the folds of her white and red attire. When they slid out, they held a thin silver dagger. Then she brought it down, towards Inu-Yasha's legs. 

            He shut his eyes. _I knew it…she'd been brought back to life just to kill me for leaving her to die…_well he deserved it. It was his price to pay for running away. He braced himself for the pain, the blood gushing out of his legs…death…

            It didn't come. Inu-Yasha opened one eye cautiously. Kikyo was trying to cut strips of cloth from the billowing cloth of her pants. Relief and embarrassment hit Inu-Yasha like a sledgehammer. It was just like something Kagome would pull. 

            He stopped. Oh, that's right, Kagome…

            But he couldn't pursue it further, because Kikyo was now looking at him, amusement in her eyes. "I won't hurt you, Inu-Yasha." Her fingers fumbled to keep a grip on the blade. Inu-Yasha automatically reached for her and took the knife, and winced. In the wooden handle a thin strip of the blade still continued down one side. As long as he was in the Inu-kai castle, he would remain a vampire. But Inu-Yasha ignored the pain and as quick as he could cut away some of the cloth into strips. 

            When he finished he silently handed the strips to Kikyo. She took them, set them all aside except for one, and wound it around Inu-Yasha's burned and blistered hand. "You're still the same," she said in a tone he couldn't read. Then she picked up the rest of the cloth and proceeded to bandage her hands. 

            As she did for him, Inu-Yasha did it for her. When he was done they both had makeshift red bandages. _We're the same, he thought. __We always have been. _

            "And yet you're different," she added, after he'd been quite convinced of their sameness. Now he had to think all over again. 

            "Different? What do you mean?"

            Kikyo lifted a hand and touched his cheek lightly with her fingertips. Inu-Yasha stared at the ground. He wanted to clasp her hand and pull her close, but somehow he couldn't do that with her. He'd never done that sort of thing until he switched masters…and met Kagome. "Where is the Inu-Yasha who was angry at the world, more vicious than any of his kin, even though he had human blood?" 

            _Don't you remember? _Inu-Yasha was certain she knew. When she'd first encountered him, he was subdued by force, and later by will. She couldn't have forgotten that she was the one who changed him. 

            She seemed to know what she was thinking, for she continued, "There's something else here. Something that wasn't there when I saw you last." Her voice remained the same tone, even though 'saw you last' meant 'fifty years ago when I died.' 

            "Who was that girl beside you?"  

            He met her level gaze. The image of Kagome flickered in his mind, paired with the sight of Kikyo, and he was beginning to feel more confused with each passing second. He almost said "She's you," but stopped himself in time. Kagome was _not Kikyo, no matter what Sesshoumaru thought or how much Myouga wished to believe it. So he just told her the simple facts. _

            "She's Kagome. She's the strongest vampire hunter…well, after you." He shifted uneasily. Was she still the strongest, if Kikyo was alive? So many facts and thoughts crashing into each other, and his head was beginning to hurt. 

            Kikyo's fingers trailed down his face and onto the curve of his neck. "She looks like me. I thought I was looking into myself, until I saw the differences." Inu-Yasha knew just what kind of differences she was talking about. "The fire within her, the anger on her face…she knows nothing, does she, Inu-Yasha?" 

            Inu-Yasha reacted defensively to Kikyo's remark. Kagome knew things. She knew what her priorities were. She knew what being separated from a loved one felt like. Inu-Yasha knew that too. They were both the same, too. It was all too confusing. He wished he had some aspirin around. "She has your power to purify silver." 

            A shadow crossed Kikyo's face. "I suppose she must be strong. It takes strength and power to change you the way you have been changed." Inu-Yasha wanted to say that Kikyo had done most of the work, but she asked, "Why was she here? To complete the job I couldn't finish?" 

            "Yes," he replied truthfully. "And to get your revenge. And…to get the jewel from Sesshoumaru." 

            Kikyo's other hand, the one not clasping onto his shoulder, reached up and curled around the bright jewel around her neck. "The Shikon no Tama is indeed a strong jewel. Strong enough to let me live when I had already died."

            Inu-Yasha's amber eyes widened. "You mean—" 

            Her fingers played with the white sphere. "Do you remember why you wanted the jewel, Inu-Yasha?" 

            "Yes. To become human." 

            "Do you want to become human now?"

            Of course he wanted to become human. As Alucard of Castlevania so bluntly put it, he wanted to be "rid of this cursed blood." (Yes, he played video games, but only when Miroku wasn't around so he wouldn't get his ass kicked) But he knew what she was saying. The Shikon no Tama had the power to turn him fully human, but it was the thing that was keeping Kikyo alive. If he said yes, he was sealing her (second) death sentence. It was a cruel question. But one he didn't blame her for asking. 

            "Not if it means killing you," he said. He purposely didn't say "losing you." Fifty years had passed, he'd already felt as if he'd lost her. But some parts didn't feel the same now. 

            Kikyo wrapped her arms around his neck, suddenly looking frail and delicate. "I don't want to die," she said simply. 

            Never in all the time he'd known her had he heard her say something that sounded so…human. It was one of their ironies. She was the full-blooded human and yet she was as emotionless as Sesshoumaru. This one, human sentence, made Inu-Yasha hug her back, abandoning all questions.     

*          *          *

            Kagome didn't want to wake up. The bed was so soft, and snuggled under the blankets she was so warm. She felt as if she'd been sleeping for a hundred years, and she wanted to drowse off again. 

            But no, she had to wake up…she didn't know where she was but she knew it was important…Kagome moaned against the pillows. Finally she pulled herself out of sleep and forced herself to sit up, releasing her disappointment with a loud yawn and a huge stretch that nearly popped her arms from her shoulders. 

            When she opened her eyes a pair of bright green ones stared back, a finger-width across from her. 

            Kagome yelped and tried to move back. Her head crashed painfully into the headboard of the bed, and for a moment she saw stars. She blinked furiously as she pressed a hand to the back of her head, trying to clear her vision. 

The eyes were still there, curious as ever. They belonged to a small creature with a fuzzy tail, with orange hair tied in a little ponytail. Under normal circumstances she would have picked him up and squealed over how cute it was, but she felt things weren't going to be normal for a long time. 

            "What are you and how did you get in here?" she sputtered at him, rubbing the back of her head. 

            He—she—it—looked indignant all of a sudden. "What am I? I'm a vampire, of course!" He—most definitely it was a he—puffed out his little chest as far as it would go. "And you didn't lock your door, so I just opened it and walked in."        

            Despite herself, Kagome giggled. He really was cute, a fuzzy little thing trying to act all macho. He turned even madder. "What, do you think I'm joking? I'm dangerous, you know! I have big fangs, and even bigger claws!" To prove his point, he bared his teeth and curled his hands toward her and made a tiny growl. 

            She covered her mouth and fought down her laughter. "Well, if you say so. So what's your name?" 

            This took the little vampire by surprise. Normally when he gave his look-how-dangerous-I-am speech the vampires either laughed at him and told him to go away, or beat him up. But the girl was smiling at him, and she didn't look like she would pummel him at any second. "S-Shippou," he replied, his voice decibels lower. 

            "Hello, Shippou, my name's Kagome." And she held out her hand. Shippou stared at it, wondering what he was supposed to do. Maybe this was a human thing, and she was offering him a taste of her blood. Slowly he took her hand, and nearly had a heart attack when she grasped his hand in hers. But she only shook his hand, then released it. Shippou stared at his hand, and thought strange, very strange. It was most definitely a human thing. He wondered how she would've reacted if he'd tried to drink her blood.

            "Ka-go-me," he repeated her name dutifully. She smiled at him. "Funny, I thought your name was Kikyo too. Hey, Kikyo too! Kikyo 2, get it?" Her smile fell faster than a blink of the eye. _Strange, was it something I said? _Shippou rarely made funny jokes, and he thought that was pretty funny. 

            "Yes, well, a lot of people think that," she said, her tone a lot less friendly. Shippou made a mental note not to compare Kagome to Kikyo, since that seemed to be the thing that irked her. He didn't want her to be mad, not when she was smiling like that.He moved closer to her and tried to look as cute as he could (forgetting how he was trying to be macho just minutes before). It worked somewhat, because a tiny hint of her smile came back. 

            He wanted to know more about her. She didn't seem like a sadistic human who wanted to kill all his family—even though he'd seen her do so last night. It was weird. Who was she? "Are you Inu-Yasha's girlfriend?" he asked innocently.

            Kagome's eyes widened. "N-no, I'm not!" _Maybe I could have been before, until last night. Then she made a face. _As if. __

            Shippou didn't seem to notice her expression. "That's good. Inu-Yasha's a jerk, you know," he said smartly, looking to Kagome to see her reaction. 

            She snapped out of her thoughts. "Yes—yes, he _is a jerk!" she agreed. He was, too! He said he'd told her everything she needed to know! He'd lied to her again. Clearly, 'I was dating your lookalike' was something she needed to know. So much for trust. Kagome crossed her arms and glared stonily past Shippou. _

            "But it would make sense if you were," Shippou continued. "Considering, you know, the whole Kikyo thing…" 

            Kagome turned and fixed Shippou with the biggest, most innocently scary smile she could muster on Shippou. The little kitsune gulped. "Why don't you tell me more about Inu-Yaha and Kikyo, since you seem to know more than me?" 

            Shippou, glad to dish out some dirt on Inu-Yasha, plopped down on the bed, his tail wagging. "Gladly. Okay, Inu-Yasha was such a badass jerk when he was growing up, I mean I only came when he was already looking like he is now but he was pretty mean—and he still is. But before he was this snarling, wild, really bloodthirsty vampire. Coz he's only half, you know, so he probably thought being double a jerk would make up for it." 

            Kagome nodded, knowing how much of a jerk Inu-Yasha could be. But Shippou had described it as if he was twice the jerk Kagome had ever known. Then, though she already knew the answer but felt like she just had to hurt herself more, she asked, "Before what?" 

            "Well, before Kikyo. All of sudden, like five months before the hunters stormed the place, Inu-Yasha started changing. He was still a jerk to me, but he wasn't like a mindless, foaming jerk. You get what I'm saying?" 

            "Ah—sort of." 

            "Then when Kikyo and the others came and attacked us, Inu-Yasha didn't do anything. He just stood there, watching. None of the vampire hunters touched him…and they didn't touch me either. It's probably cause I look so scary."

            "Indeed. You look very scary. So, uhm," she wanted to get back to the story. "What happened when Kikyo was—ahem—killed?" 

            "He ran!" Shippou yelled the words so loudly Kagome jumped slightly. "He ran and betrayed us all, he ran after the vampire hunters saw what happened to Kikyo. He never stuck around to see Kikyo resurrect herself with the Shikon no Tama. And then now he has the galls to come back…" he was so worked up, his chest was heaving. 

            Kagome blinked. "But you know, he was treated really badly here," she said defensively. "You can hardly blame him." 

            Shippou looked confused. "I thought you didn't like him. You said he was a jerk." 

            "He is," Kagome said, and didn't explain further, leaving Shippou to scratch his head. _But I never said I didn't like him. Do I still? Kagome knew she had a reason to hate him—well, perhaps not hate him, but she had a reason to not like him. He was obviously still with Kikyo. But she couldn't just stop liking him, it was a lot harder than that. Once she did, if she ever did, it would be a lot easier. _

            "So…" Shippou decided to change the subject before he lost her to her own thoughts. "If you're a hunter and I'm a vampire, does that mean you'll try and kill me when the truce is over?" 

            He was slightly worried when Kagome stopped and actually seriously thought about it. Myouga had told her, over and over, that vampires were murderers who deserved to be killed. And she'd during the six years of her training all the vampires she'd encountered were ugly and did little to preserve the world's natural beauty. But this was before she met Inu-Yasha, before she made a truce with the most powerful vampire clan, and apparently befriended a cute cuddly, kidlike vampire named Shippou. 

            She sighed. She didn't _want to kill him, of course, but would it even matter when the time came? The world was turning upside down. "I don't know," she said truthfully. _

*          *          *

            Miroku wondered why this dumb castle was so big. He'd run through at least a hundred hallways, and it felt like Kagome had just dragged him off to one of her impossible training programs. And he wasn't even trying to get fit (_I mean, I am the epitome of buff after all), he was just trying to find Kagome's room. _

            A couple of silver-haired vampires were milling around the open hallways and courtyards, but he didn't dare ask them for directions. They were all glaring at him, anyway, and he wasn't sure how many of them knew about the truce, so he decided running around the castle and not slowing down was a pretty good idea. 

            He wanted to be with Kagome for a number of reasons. First of all, she was his best friend, and the last he saw of her was trudging behind a vampire maid, her shoulders slumped as if she were holding up the world. He wanted to be with her and make sure she was okay (but in his opinion, that should have been Inu-Yasha's job but he wasn't doing it very well at the moment). Third of all, she had a sword, and although the truce was in motion he wouldn't feel comfortable until he had a bit of silver with him. 

            But most of all he wanted to apologize. He'd seen the fear in her eyes when she nearly skewered him (although that was practically fearlessness in comparison to how _he'd _felt). He'd seen the fighting from his hiding place by the door, and realized that Kagome really hadn't needed him there after all. And now she was stuck having to deal with him as well as the Inu-kai (although this made up for all the times she needed him for a shoulder to lean on when she was vulnerable.) 

            He jogged down a random hallway. Actually, it may turn out that Kagome may need him after all. He was just as shocked as everyone else to see Kikyo walk out of the room, since you know, she'd been presumed dead for fifty years and all he'd seen were old black-and-white pictures of her. But Kagome had to watch Inu-Yasha go back to the girl she was so often compared to. That gotta hurt. 

            Miroku tried to imagine the situation if he was in her shoes and drifted off into la-la land. If he were Kagome, and he was in love with the girl of his dreams (_aww__, admit it, Kagome) and suddenly her dead lover (who looked just like him) pops into the picture and—she turns her back on him and runs to the real Miroku's arms. _

            He shook his head and grinned. It had to be that way with him. Heck, no girl could resist him, right? He was just too gorgeous. He was too charming. He was the real thing. He was—

            Flat on the floor, his head throbbing and the rest of his body aching painfully. 

            His first thought was that the truce was broken and the vampires were going to make him dinner. He tried scrambling to his feet, wincing at the pain. _What the hell hit me? A behemoth? Did someone throw a table at me? _

            Ah, no, whilst it had hurt, it hadn't felt all that hard…

            "Watch where you're going!" a female voice snapped. 

            Miroku looked up, and his jaw crashed down to the floor. An angel from the heavens glared down at him, extremely pissed-off. Okay, maybe she wasn't an angel, her clothes looked rough and tattered, and old, as if for a servant. And she had a big scowl on her face, too. But she was beautiful. 

            He blinked. Was she scowling at _him? Whatever for? _

            Angrily she tossed her long black hair behind her shoulders and pointed at the mess in front of her. "You made me drop all this! Now I have to go back to the kitchen and get some more!" 

            Miroku managed to tear his eyes off her and look at where her finger was pointing. A bowl of spilled rice was on his right, a plate of sliced beef, what used to be a glass of water was now a very dangerous puddle…human food. Obviously not for vampires. 

            That's when he moved his gaze back to her and realized she wasn't a vampire. "You're human!" he breathed, eyes wide. That was strange, he thought the only humans here were the vampire hunters…and him. 

            The girl put her hands on her hips. "Of course I'm human! You don't see any fangs, do you?" She provided Miroku with a closer look by baring her straight, human teeth at him. 

            He couldn't help thinking that if she lifted the corners a bit, it could pass for a smile…she was smiling at him! That was just too sweet. "I'm sorry if it seemed like I was offending you…I just thought your beauty was so…so…inhumane!" 

            Her eyes narrowed. "_Inhumane_?" 

            Damn…he knew he should have paid attention in English class when they were doing the sonnets. He should have paid attention in English class, period. "You know what I mean." He smiled charmingly. "No human could possibly radiate such beauty…"

            She glared at him skeptically. "Look, just help me pick these up, will you?" And she bent down and began picking up the fallen breakfast. 

            "I'd be glad to help a damsel in distress," Miroku said smoothly, sinking back down to his knees. She snorted, but didn't stop scooping rice into the bowl. 

            Miroku carefully picked up as many glass shards as he could see ("I would not want the lady to tread such dainty feet upon perilous grou—" "Yeah, yeah, just shut it and help me, okay?") and held them in his palms. "Could I put these in the bowl?" he asked. 

            The girl shrugged and held it to him with one hand. Miroku was about to dump them in the bowl when he saw something on her hands that made him drop the shards back onto the floor. 

            She glowered at him and was about to snap something, but he took the bowl from her arms and took her hand in both of hers. She was silenced immediately. 

            Miroku couldn't believe what he was seeing. All over her hands, her palms, her wrists, there were vampire bites. Some were white gashes, already healed from years before, but several were still clotted with dried blood, and others looking as if they'd just been inflicted last night. "Who did this to you?" he asked, all charming words aside. 

            "Who else?" she tried to tug her hand away, but he wouldn't let go. 

            "You let them do this?" 

            "It's what I'm here for. With the castle closed off from the human world how do you think the vampires survive?" 

            This wasn't right…they shouldn't use her like this…suddenly Miroku felt like he wanted to stop people from doing this from her, an almost foolish feeling of wanting to protect her. She could very well be the girl of his dreams (well…girl of his dreams #43, maybe…but she was closer to The One than all the others were) and here she was, being sucked dry by vampires. "This is terrible," he said, examining her other hand. "So you're just food to them?" 

            She yanked her hands away. "I'm surprised you're shocked. You're a vampire hunter, you should know this already."

            Wait…there was something wrong with her sentence. Ah, she thought he was a vampire hunter. Miroku felt crummy and flattered at the same time. Should he correct her? But what kind of conversation would follow that? "What? You're not a vampire hunter?" "No, actually, I was the coward hiding by the door that Sesshoumaru sniffed out and nearly made Kagome kill. But close enough." 

            Yeah, right. 

            "Well, I'm new. I'm not very good, see," he said, which was partially true. He sucked completely. 

            The girl, who had returned to picking up the fallen food, raised her eyebrow. "Oh. So they took you to fight the Inu-kai clan when you're not very good?" 

            "No. I was training with them when the dimension gate opened. They thought they could use as much as they could get so they dragged me along." Okay, so that part was a lie. But anything for her. 

            "Uh huh. It's a wonder you're still alive." She didn't sound all that impressed. Was that _disappointment in her voice? No, he was just imagining things. Besides, he had plenty of time to win her heart, if they couldn't get a gate open to the other side. _

            "I'm just lucky," he flashed her a big grin. He helped pile the rest of the utensils on her food tray and stood up. "I'm Miroku, by the way." 

            She gave him half-smile, but it didn't look all that genuine. "I'm Sango." 

            "Sango, that's a beautiful name. Well, you know what they say, the name suits the person." 

            She didn't giggle, like many of the girls back home did whenever he used that line. Instead Sango rolled her eyes and turned around to the direction she just came from. Miroku fell in step beside her. "So who's getting all that yummy food?" 

            "Kagome Higurashi," she replied without slowing her fast pace. 

            _This is so fate. _"What a coincidence!" Miroku beamed happily. "I've been looking for her room for ages! Could I just go with you to her room?" 

            "You're doing that already," she muttered. 

            Miroku grinned. Maybe this stay wouldn't be so rotten after all. 


	14. Choices in the Courtyard

AN: Waah, sorry I took so long to update! Whenever I reach a part in the fic that's difficult to write, I just blow it over until I get some inspiration and get off my butt to do it. Yeah, so…not much action in the chapter, but there'll be more in the later ones so that it doesn't seem weird, like starting off with action and ending in soap opera ^^. This chapter's a bit longer than the others, to make up for all those weeks. Um…enjoy. 

Extra: The day I finish this, I can't log into my account. I hate you, Murphy. 

Choices in the Courtyard

            Kagome never ate her breakfast, because she left the room as soon as she got dressed. Since she hadn't counted on staying at the castle on a truce, naturally she didn't bring any clothes. But in the closet she found a hoard of dresses, dresses that a noble woman from centuries might wear. It repulsed her to think she would wear clothes a vampire had worn, but her old clothes were dirty and bloody, and she had no choice. 

            Her lip curling, she pulled one out of the closet and laid it across the bed. It was covered in frills and lace, and about five petticoats. She turned to Shippou. "You have interior designers, why don't you have fashion stylists?" 

            Shippou giggled at her choice of dress. "Those are from the seventeenth century. But there are people here who preserve these." 

            "Ew," she muttered. "I'd rather burn them." She sighed and took a dagger from the weapons belt she'd managed to retrieve last night. "Let's do the best we can." 

            The next ten minutes were spent cutting away most of the frills and lace, the big garish flowers at the shoulders, and all the petticoats. Kagome tried it on and surveyed herself in the mirror. "Hmm…still icky, but at least it's not hideous like before." At least there were no fancy decorations, and she didn't look like a big birthday cake. 

            Shippou turned around and examined her. "Well, you really butchered it," he said in honestly, "But you look good in it." He grinned shyly. "You're pretty." 

            Kagome laughed. He was the cutest thing ever…and he was one of the rare males in this world who thought she was pretty. There was no way she was going to let this kitsune die. 

            "So, I think I've been in this room long enough." Kagome picked up a few daggers and slid them in ankle sheaths. The weapons belt was too bulky, and the long dress would hide her legs so at least she could carry something. 

            "I thought we're at a truce," Shippou said as they left the room. 

            She shrugged. "I never go anywhere without a weapon. For me it's like going out naked." 

            Shippou snickered. "I bet Inu-Yasha would want to see that." 

            Her eye twitched. _Yeah, kid, just be glad you're a minor so I can't inflict bodily harm on you. _Although she wasn't really sure if he was a minor or not—how'd he know the dresses were from the seventeenth century? It wasn't as if anyone was going to bother telling him that…right? She shuddered involuntarily. That was a little freaky. That was…(she counted silently using her fingers)…a lot of years. 

            Outside, the open hallway, the sky was the same as it was last night—dark, with traces of red, as if the sun was just about to rise, but she knew it never would. As long as she was here, she was going to have to survive without the sun. Bummer…but dang the place was big. She could keep in shape by jogging around the castle every morning with Miroku…

            Oh, right. Miroku. Her stupid, lovable best friend who'd followed her in. She had to find him to make sure he was okay. "Do you know where the other humans' rooms are?" she asked Shippou. 

            "Yeah…but when I looked in them they were all empty. It _is the middle of the day, you know," Shippou said. "You're the only one still sleeping like a baby." _

            Kagome squinted up at the sky. "You'd never be able to tell around here," she muttered under her breath. Great, so Miroku and everyone else were gone, and this castle was big enough to be searching for half the day for them. Might as well throw in a little sightseeing, and maybe find out where Sesshoumaru's and Naraku's rooms were. "So, Shippou, since you've been here for God knows how many years, why don't you show me around?" 

            The little kitsune beamed at the chance. He was too proud to let Kagome carry him, so Kagome just laughingly followed him as he scurried down the hallway. 

            Shippou took them to the center of the castle, a large courtyard. The courtyard was actually a huge, open space of stone floor, bordered with dark grass. All around were tall, black trees. Even the leaves looked black, or else they were the darkest green ever. The only flowers that lined the few paths were roses—the darkest, reddest roses Kagome had ever seen. The thorns poking out of their stems looked like thick needles, which made it extremely dangerous for anyone who wanted to pick the exquisite flowers. 

            Of course, this didn't stop Kagome. "Oh my gosh, these are the coolest flowers I've ever seen!" She went over to them, Shippou watching nervously. Kagome leaned over and sniffed one of the rosebuds. The soft petals tickled her chin and she laughed. 

            "Um, Kagome, those roses are bad luck, especially for humans. The guy who bred them was an evil moron, and he made them big n' bloody like that, and their scent is intoxicating…literally—" 

            Kagome, who had been dreamily letting his words flow in one ear and out the other, reached out to pick one. She quickly realized her mistake when she pulled her stinging hand back. "Ouch!" 

            "—And their thorns are rather poisonous," Shippou finished lamely. 

            Kagome watched a thin trickle of blood slip down her finger, which was swelling up to the size of a sausage. "You don't say…will it kill me?" 

            "No, but it's not pleasant either. You'd be puking for days." A deep voice, most definitely not Shippou's, replied for her. 

            She nearly dove headfirst into the rose bushes. What _was it with people scaring the living daylights out of her? She whirled around. Inu-Yasha, arms crossed, was watching her swelling finger with interest. He was still in his vampire form, and his silver hair contrasted sharply with the dark courtyard. She realized, with some relief and some guilt at being relieved, that he was alone. _

            "Inu-Yasha, you moron! Next time I'm going to push you into these damn bushes!" 

            He looked her over. "You know, I'm certain that dress was one of those horrible ones from the seventeenth century. Am I right?" 

            _How old _is _everyone? I'm like a freakin' baby around here. "Do you realize you could have killed me back there?" _

            "Do you realize that you're attracting the attention of every vampire within a ten-meter radius?" Inu-Yasha asked calmly though she knew inside he was laughing hysterically.  

            Kagome looked around. Sure enough, pale silver heads were poking from behind tree trunks, watching her. She rubbed her thick finger on the side of her skirt, trying to wipe the blood off. 

            "I would offer to suck the poison out for you, but that's kind of like the sheep asking the wolf to shear him, don't you think?" Inu-Yasha continued to bombard her with questions. "You know, especially after last time." 

            "What did you do to her last time, Inu-Yasha?" Shippou demanded to know. "Did he hurt you, Kagome?"

            Inu-Yasha looked down and glared at the little vampire. "And what's Shippou doing with you? Is he bothering you? I could punt him straight out of the castle if you want." 

            She didn't know whether to be angry or touched (_wow, two guys fighting over me…never thought it would happen). But she didn't have to think about it for too long, because her finger had just turned blue. "Hey, Inu-Yasha, is it supposed to look like this?" She held it up for him to see. _

            His calm look vanished as a big blue finger was nearly shoved in his eye. "No, stupid!" He grabbed her hand and stuck her finger inside her mouth. "Suck out as much as you can, you'll know when the blood tastes different."

            Kagome rolled her eyes but did as she was told. Bitter-tasting blood filled her mouth and she squirmed. She couldn't imagine being a vampire, and having to do this, although judging from personal experiences they must like it a lot. She spat the blood out onto the rosebushes. Maybe it would nourish those sadistic things. 

            She heard Shippou whispering, "I can smell her blood. It smells really good."

            Inu-Yasha replied, in the same quiet tone, "Yeah, it does. But she's off limits. Go feed on someone else." 

            She tried not to listen. She may have feelings for Inu-Yasha and think Shippou was cute and cuddly, but the truth was that they were still vampires, still beasts. Ones that could be controlled by their love for blood. It all boiled down to that.  

            Eventually her blood tasted salty, and without a trace of bitterness. She spat the last mouthful into the flowers and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. "Ugh, it takes awful," she said, making a face. "Shippou, can you show me where the kitchen is? I really need some water." 

            "That won't be necessary," a soft voice replied for Shippou, the second time someone had interrupted him. Kagome knew who the voice belonged to even before she turned around and faced her.    

            Kikyo was standing next to Inu-Yasha, holding a large basket. She looked much better than last night. Her hands were bandaged and her hair was brushed and flowing down her back. Now that Kagome had a closer look, she saw Kikyo was indeed beautiful. Did she ever come close to that?  Certainly not now, with her three-hundred year old dress and her mouth filled with blood. She didn't dare open her mouth until she had washed the blood away. 

            Kikyo rummaged in the basket, holding the entire thing with just one hand. She looked frail, but she was strong. Finally she pulled out a flask of water. "Here," she said, holding it out to Kagome. 

            "Thanks," Kagome mumbled, keeping her lips as close as possible, in the same neutral manner, not friendly yet not hostile. She didn't know how to deal with this…she was Inu-Yasha's ex-girlfriend, after all, and she wasn't even sure if she was an ex. Since Kikyo wasn't going out of her way to act friendly or mean, Kagome decided to just act the same way she did. 

            Kagome tilted her head back and drank, until the blood was just a lingering bad taste because she couldn't dispel it completely. "Thanks," she said again when she was done, and this time she really meant it. "Um, if I may ask, what's the basket for?" 

            "We thought…we'd have a _picnic" here Inu-Yasha scowled, and Kagome knew 'we' actually meant 'Kikyo.' Inu-Yasha was not the picnic sort of person, and even though Kikyo didn't seem like one either, she seemed more of one than Inu-Yasha. "You know, it'd be cool to have a picnic here and stuff." _

            _Yes, because it's the most charming place in the world, _Kagome thought, taking another look around the dark courtyard. "But you don't eat human food when you're…like this, Inu-Yasha." 

            "I don't, but Kikyo does," Inu-Yasha replied, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

            _But Kikyo does_. Kagome used to think when people sang about heartaches on slow songs it was similar to having heartburn, like eating too much steak (one of the many reasons why Miroku said she was going to be single forever) but now she knew the difference. Heartaches stung more. Inu-Yasha would never willingly go have a picnic with someone he didn't care about. Kagome's sub-conscious hopes that Kikyo and Inu-Yasha had parted ways vanished. 

            "Would you care to join us?" Kikyo asked suddenly. 

            Kagome looked startled. "Me? Seriously?" 

            "No, we were asking Shippou," Inu-Yasha said dryly. "Of course you. You're the only other human around here." 

            Kagome put her hands on her hips. "Stop biting my head off, I was just asking, all right?" 

            "Well, if you wouldn't ask such dumb questions…" 

            "It's not a dumb question! I just thought you wanted to be alone, that's all," she snapped.

            "When she asked you if you wanted to join?" 

            "I was just making sure! Do you want to be alone or not?" she growled, very nearly screaming. She glared at him furiously. Just because Inu-Yasha had his old girlfriend back it didn't mean he could treat her like she was stupid…all of a sudden she felt a serious dislike for him. He could go be with Kikyo again, she didn't care anymore. 

            Meanwhile, Inu-Yasha was glaring right back. Couldn't she see that this was uncomfortable? And she was drawing it out by asking unneeded questions. She could either say yes or no…though he wasn't sure what he wanted her answer to be. She was still glaring at him…then he remembered she had asked him a question, and she wanted it answered. Did he want to be alone—with Kikyo—or not? His mouth opened and closed, as if he thought of an answer but changed his mind. He wanted her to come, he missed her, but he also didn't want her to come, he missed Kikyo, too. And Kikyo had been (presumed) dead for fifty years. _My lord, I'm such a cad, _he realized. 

            Kagome still waited expectantly, feeling worse with every second that Inu-Yasha said nothing, but she was too proud to turn on her heels and leave. Luckily, Kikyo intervened. "I extended the invitation, Kagome, and I'd be honored if you accepted. I've heard so much about you, and I'd like to know more about your powers." Her tone was much softer than her previous toneless one, and it sounded almost friendly, at the edge of friendly. 

            Cheeks flaming, Kagome nodded. And so they sat down and had a picnic…of sorts.         

            The food, obviously prepared by humans, was good. Rice balls and noodles and strips of chicken and beef were tucked into black lacquer boxes. There were no French fries or hamburgers, though Kagome wished there was a rare burger somewhere in there, so she could make a snide comment to Inu-Yasha about his eating preferences. Anything to make a snide comment to him. Shippou didn't touch the food except for some sweet things, typical of any child (if he could even be called that.)

            "I used to go on these sorts of picnics," Kikyo said, sipping a bowl of tea. "With Myouga and my sister Kaede. Have you met her?" She must have assumed by knowing Myouga, Kagome knew Kaede. Which she did. "How is she now?"                 

            _Older than you _was the first thing that came to mind, but Kagome didn't dare say it. "She's fine," she replied. "She talks about you a lot." _Then again, so do most people in my life, so much that I wonder who they really see. _But Kagome couldn't feel any hatred toward Kikyo, no matter how hard she tried or how much she insisted to herself she deserved to. Jealousy, yeah, maybe…okay, definitely, but not hatred. Her hatred was for vampires. And sometimes a perverted best friend. 

            Her eyes flicked toward Inu-Yasha. He was leaning against one of the trees, trying very hard not to look in her direction. 

            They talked for a bit about the purifying powers, and other sorts of light trivia, like how the human world was like now and etcetera. Inu-Yasha remained quiet the entire time, a half-scowl etched on his face throughout. Shippou, apparently stuffed on candies, had rolled onto his stomach and fallen asleep. 

            Kagome had just finished telling her about the training session she'd undergone with Falcon and Takada. "Then I think it was around this time that Inu-Yasha went through his vampire transformation," she said, watching Inu-Yasha's face for a reaction. His brows furrowed closer, but the rest of his face didn't move. "None of us knew it at the time, though." 

            Kikyo's face changed, in the way that she suddenly became more interested but didn't show it openly. "I see. And how did you find out?" But she was thinking ahead, and her eyes traveled down to Kagome's neck, where two fresh wounds marred the side. Kagome squirmed under her gaze, but in a way she was relieved Kikyo had found out on her own—it would be weird, talking about the previous night under the concrete with her. 

            Kikyo nodded as she took another sip of tea. "Yes, sometimes Inu-Yasha has a bit of a problem keeping his control." She said it as if those fifty years had never gone by, and she'd been with him all this time.  

            Inu-Yasha's head jerked up, and he broke his silence. "Hey, I do a very good job of keeping my control!" 

            "Are you denying it?" Kikyo asked calmly. Sip.

            "The only reason I did that was because Sesshoumaru was opening the castle and I didn't expect it!" 

            "It is true you can be hot-tempered most times, Inu-Yasha." Sip. 

            "I told her to run, but she insisted on staying there!" 

            "Which of course gives you the right to attack her, and then later justify your actions with me?" Sip. 

            "I—I'm not justifying anything, I'm just—" 

            "Being in denial, as usual." Sip. 

            This wound Inu-Yasha down to a stutter, until he crossed his arms with a final "Feh!", while Kagome watched in astonishment. 

            They were bantering with each other, Kikyo obviously winning, but still bantering as though they'd done it all their lives. Kagome felt a twinge of jealousy. She thought that she was the one who argued with Inu-Yasha, who exchanged insults and witty comebacks with him, and with Kikyo they would just be polite to each other. It was wrong thinking, of course, but it had been Kagome's one inner hope that maybe she might have something with him that Kikyo didn't. _Yes, yes, it's bad thinking, but don't I have a right? Here I am, being forced to watch Inu-Yasha and his former girlfriend rekindle their relationship while I thought maybe I would have one of my own. ThenKagome shook her head violently. _No, there never was a possible relationship between me and him! Yeah, that's right. It's a lot easier to think of it that way. _Or so she tried to persuade herself. _

            She looked up just in time to see a small smile touch Kikyo's lips, so faint but it lightened up her stone face considerably. At the moment she'd smiled, she'd been replying to something Inu-Yasha had said. Kagome then looked at Inu-Yasha. His sulky look was gone, and he was smirking like a mischievous child. She didn't know what they'd just been talking about, because she'd been lost within her head. 

            "Yeah, it's all good now, but before we really hated each others guts," Inu-Yasha said as Kagome went back to the real world. "She did some pretty awful stuff, didn't she, Kagome?" 

            "Of course you forgot to mention why I did some pretty awful stuff in the first place," Kagome replied, narrowing her eyes. She'd realized for some time now that Inu-Yasha's firs reaction to her had been related to Kikyo, and it was beginning to irritate her now that Kikyo had to be a part of everything in her relationship with Inu-Yasha, romantic or not.

            "One little glare and you're making me touch your neck and sticking me in the girl's locker rooms." Inu-Yasha's eyes laughed at the memory. "And still I saved your life several times afterward." 

            A memory of a certain promise they'd made shot into her head, but she forced it back down. Inu-Yasha was being very unlikable right now, she could rid herself of whatever feelings she had and use this chance to really dislike him. "I was suspicious. But then, I had every right to be, didn't I?" she said, almost growling. 

            Inu-Yasha's smile faltered. "Yeah, it's amazing how things turn out." And here he looked straight into her eyes. 

            Something about that sentence bugged Kagome. Maybe it was the way he said it, or the various meanings it implied, or the Evil Stare but whatever it was it made her snap. She reached out for the first thing she could grab her hands on—a rice ball—and hurled it at him. 

            It bounced off his forehead and rolled onto the ground innocently. He gaped in shock at her, but she glared at him furiously. She didn't care anymore—if Inu-Yasha was going to be such a jerk then that was his problem. 

            Slowly Inu-Yasha reached inside one of the boxes, and pulled out a squid ball. He tossed it in the air and caught it a few times, then threw it at Kagome like he was pitching a baseball. 

            She ducked just in time—the squid ball sailed past Kagome and shot into Shippou's cheek. The kitsune squealed and jumped to his feet. "What the heck—who threw that?" he yelled, looking around. His eyes fell on Inu-Yasha, and he growled. "Inu-Yasha, that was so mean! I'm gonna chew your head off!" 

            Inu-Yasha ignored him. "We are not going to turn this into a food fight," he told Kagome. 

            _Don't you patronize me, especially in front of your girlfriend. _"Of course we're not," she said through gritted teeth.    

            "We're going to be mature about it."      

            _Are you trying to show her what a good guy you are and what a kid I am? _"Of course we are."         

            "So no more throwing food." 

            _If you think you can order me around, especially in front of her…_ "Whatever you say," she agreed.  

            As soon as Inu-Yasha turned around she picked up an entire box of noodle soup and dumped it over his head. "Rule number one, always be suspicious," she said bitingly with loads of irony in her voice. Those were the words Inu-Yasha had said to Miroku. "The person you trust the most could turn around and take advantage." She got to her feet and brushed herself off. 

            "Nice meeting you," she said to Kikyo. "Maybe we could talk some more later." 

            "I'd like that," Kikyo said, edging ever so subtly away from the soup that was dripping onto her red pants. 

            Kagome was well out of the courtyard before Inu-Yasha realized the double meaning of his sentence. "Hey, wait, Kagome!" He pulled the box off his head and quickly brushed the noodles off himself. Shippou was killing himself laughing. 

            "Kikyo, I have to go talk to her. It can get murderous when both of us are at war." It wasn't the real reason, at least he didn't think it was. "Do you mind?" 

            Kikyo filled her cup with more tea. "Why must you even ask for my conse—" She stopped mid-sentence as Inu-Yasha dashed out of the courtyard in Kagome's direction. 

            She waited until he was gone and Shippou's sides had very nearly split. "I suspected as much," she said softly. "Certainly, Inu-Yasha was never good at hiding his feelings." 

            "And she kept defending him," Shippou said voice hoarse from laughing. "So maybe she likes him too." 

            "Hmm." She sipped her tea. For awhile the gloomy air was filled with thick silence. 

            "Do you still love him?" Shippou said suddenly. 

            From the other side of the courtyard someone shouted, "Kikyo!" and a distant figures led by a small man drew closer to her. Myouga and the vampire hunters. 

            Kikyo let out a small sigh. The Shikon no Tama flared brightly once, then returned to its normal glow. "He is the only reason for my living," she said with perfect truth. 

*          *          *

            For the afternoon Kagome had ignored Inu-Yasha's footsteps behind her, and an increasingly impatient, angry voice calling out her name. Eventually it had stopped, and the anger within her was allowed to settle a bit. She spent the early afternoon searching for Miroku, and finding him with a human servant realized he was going to be just fine, and the rest of the day exploring the castle. She'd taken note of important places, like her room (duh), the courtyard, and Naraku's and Sesshoumaru's rooms. All the running and exploring made her hot and tired, so she jogged back to her room. 

            Inu-Yasha was waiting at the door, clean and soup-free. Kagome kept her gaze in front of her as she opened the door. She tried to slip in and close it, but Inu-Yasha stuck his foot inside. "We have to talk," he said.       

            "Yes, we should be mature about this, shouldn't we?" she said icily. "Move your foot, I am going to take a shower. Don't bother waiting." She started slamming the door against his foot repeatedly.

            "You could try to tunnel yourself out of your room with a spoon and I'd still be waiting," he said, his voice rising over the thuds of the door against his shoe. Finally he grabbed the handle and kept the door still. 

            "Aww…was that supposed to romantic?" Kagome stomped on his foot—he wouldn't budge. Finally she just threw the door open for him. "Fine, come inside, you can stay as long as you like but I'm not going to listen to a word you say." 

            He followed her in. Kagome headed straight for the bathroom,, and just a meter away from the door she drew a line on the ground with her foot. "Whatever part of you goes past this line I'm cutting off," she said.         

            Inu-Yasha threw up his hands. "Whatever. But if you're not out in half an hour I'm coming in there." 

            "Hmph. Pervert. Are you sure your girlfriend would like to hear that?" 

            "Leave her out of it!" He yelled, but Kagome had already shut the door. "Bitch!" he muttered, flopping down on her bed. He put his hands over his face as Kagome called out, "I heard that." 

            Exactly half an hour later Kagome emerged from a steam-filled bathroom clad in a towel. "I can't believe I have to look through that closet of doom again to find something to wear!" she muttered to herself. She looked up and saw Inu-Yasha lying on her bed. "Why are you still here?" 

            "Because I said we were going to talk, and I'm not leaving till we do," he said stubbornly. "And no, I am not trying to peek so you don't have to cross your arms like you're stuck in a straightjacket."

            She rolled her eyes. "There's nothing to talk about!" She stomped past him to her closet, the cold night air biting her skin. "Decent clothes, decent clothes…why are these dresses so icky? At least the underwear's normal…Inu-Yasha, go get me some of your clothes. I can't stand these long dresses." 

            "Excuse me? Did I just hear you order me to do something?" Inu-Yasha scoffed, but he rose into a sitting position. 

            "Get me some of your clothes, and we'll talk about whatever you want," she said without pulling her head out of the closet. "Unless you're afraid Kikyo will think you're a two-timing bastard if you come in here with some of your clothes—which you are, by the way," she added. 

            "I said to keep Kikyo out of this!" he yelled. "And how am I a two-timing pervert? I didn't even peek! There was nothing to peek _at!"                   _

            This stopped Kagome's rummaging. Slowly she pulled her head out of the closet and turned around, water still dripping down her face. "Just-get-me-my-clothes," she said, each syllable dark and clipped and eerily foreboding. 

            Inu-Yasha didn't really want to be there when all hell broke loose, so he bit down a snide comment and left the room. His old room had been taken by Kikyo, so his new quarters were on the other side of Kagome's hall. He picked out the clothes on top of the pile and stalked back down to her room. 

            He found her sitting on the bed, the towel still wrapped around her, her eyes closed. They opened at the sound of the door closing. Carelessly he tossed her his clothes. "Thanks," she said softly, and ducked into the bathroom to change. 

            _They smell like Inu-Yasha_, Kagome thought as she slipped the shirt over her head. Cool and dark and musky with a freshness like mint—no, she was not supposed to think like this, she was supposed to hate him. Why couldn't he smell like Naraku, unpleasant and uncomfortable? The pants were loose around her legs, perfect for training or surprise attacks. She should steal more of his clothes.             

            She emerged, finishing up towel-drying her hair. She plopped herself at the dresser and began brushing her hair, until Inu-Yasha cleared his throat. "Aren't you forgetting something? Like your end of the bargain?" he asked pointedly.           

            "No, I'm listening." Kagome winced as she fought through a whole web of knots. "Go on, what exactly do you want to talk about?"

            "You," he said bluntly. "What's up with pouring soup over my head? And throwing rice balls at me? Why are you so freakin' angry?"                        

            Kagome laughed, though she wasn't exactly slapping Inu-Yasha on the back or anything. "You are so dense sometimes. If that's all you wanted to talk about, just go away and think about it for awhile, the answer'll come to you."                 

            "If you already know why don't you just tell me?" he countered. "Come on, why were you acting so weird?"         

            "So everything's my fault now, is it?" she said suddenly, her voice becoming sharper. "Is it my fault I was born with Kikyo's looks and I live in place where most of the close people in my life knew Kikyo as this absolutely great person and me as some sort of replacement? Is it my fault for becoming angry when a person who's close to me makes me sound like some lunatic in front of the girl I look like and am inferior to? Is it my fault that maybe the first time I ever develop real feelings for someone, his old girlfriend—who looks just like me by the way—comes up again and I have to watch them flirt and can't think of anyone to blame except him and he thinks it's all my fault?" she finished in a louder, higher voice, and slammed the brush down. She wanted to burrow under the covers and lock up her mind—she was used to spilling out her thoughts, which usually led her into trouble, like now. 

            Inu-Yasha had finished sorting it out by the time Kagome had crawled under the covers of her bed. "Look, Kagome…" he began, tapping what seemed to be her foot. It moved away from him. 

            "Go away," she said, her voice muffled. "Our talk is over."

            "No it's not. Come out of there." 

            "Oh yes, because we should deal with this in a _mature way," she snapped. _

            He winced. "If you're going to keep bringing that up then I will resort to hair-pulling." No answer. "Okay, so I was a bit off there, but you can't blame me."

            "Hell, yes I can."           

            Inu-Yasha yanked the covers off of her. She sat up, glaring at him. "No, you can't, because that wouldn't be fair. I'm confused too, you know. I think I might…you know, with you, and then we come back here and she's been alive all this time…it's weird, okay?" 

            "Ah," Kagome nodded. "And your way of dealing is to act like a complete jerk to one girl and be a good boyfriend to another?"          

            "Put yourself in my shoes and think of what you would've done," he said. "Oh, wait, you can't, because you've been single your whole life." 

            Kagome rolled up one of her sleeves. "You are just asking for this one," she warned, holding up a fist. 

            "Kikyo doesn't get violent like that."       

            Kagome puffed up with anger. "Well, what's there to be confused about? She's obviously the one for you, so then it really is all your fault! As if treating me like a kid isn't bad enough, now you're comparing me to her!" She flopped back on the bed and turned her back on him.             

            "Look here you…" he forced himself to take deep breaths. "I never said she was the one for me, all right? You're both different people." Kagome's shoulders softened from their rigid position. "You could look like complete opposites and I'd still be dealing with the same problem. The fact you two are identical is just an added complication of the higher powers playing evil tricks on us, I bet. I have to deal with a whole bunch of questions I don't feel like asking myself yet. I don't want to have to make a choice yet." 

            _So you are a two-timer, _Kagome wanted to say, but she wanted to listen more. She was starting to get sleepy, the events of yesterday and today still taking a toll on her, but forced herself to stay awake. 

            "I don't think I'm sure of anything, really. Oh, wait. There's only one thing I'm sure of…I made a promise that I'd protect you." He grimaced. "Ew, that sounds so romance-novelly."                      Kagome turned over again, mouth open. "Who made you promise that?" she demanded. 

            "Uh…I won't say his name but he's short—" 

            "Oh my god, _Myouga _told you to protect me?" she spluttered. "That's ridiculous! I don't need protecting!" 

            He rolled his eyes. "How do I save thee? Let me count the ways…" 

            "Okay, fine. Be that way. But I've been managing on my own for awhile now, right?" 

            "Yes, but that's because we're on a truce. But I feel you're gonna need saving again, and when you do—" 

            "You'll still kiss me?" she asked bluntly. Yup, more thought spilling. She should buy some Duct tape for herself. 

            Inu-Yasha grinned at her. "You'd hate it if I didn't."                   

            "Ugh. Don't be too full of yourself or anything." But Kagome gave a half-smile, somewhat sleepily, but it still spread across her face. 

            "So yeah, you can't be mad at me because you're going to be stuck with me throughout this whole thing." Inu-Yasha noticed her eyes drooping. "Hey, you can't sleep yet! Your hair is dripping wet! You're going to catch cold and everyone's going to laugh at you for it and—" he was stopped by a soft finger against his lips. 

            Kagome's eyes were closed now. "Protecting me when I'm on the verge of death, yes. Mothering me, no." A soft smile touched her lips. "I'm sorry for yelling at you…though I think you still deserved it." 

            Inu-Yasha took Kagome's hand gently away from his mouth. "I'm sorry, too, even though I still think dumping soup over my head was wrong." 

            The hand he was holding shifted and she laced her fingers through his. "Can I do this?" Kagome's voice was soft now, as she was drifting off. 

            "Yeah," he said in a low voice. He missed Kagome's warm hands, in comparison with Kikyo's cool, languid hands. He wasn't two-timing if he hadn't made a choice yet, right?

            "Inu-Yasha?" 

            "Yeah?" 

            "Right now, who would your choice be?" Even on the brink of sleep Kagome still thought-spilled in her own blunt way. 

            "I don't know. You can't ask me that. It's hard to make a choice in a day, you know. And you're making me sound like I'm some conceited bachelor who's got a whole bevy of women he can just pick from," he snorted. 

            "Well you are. Except for that whole bevy part." 

            "Oh shut up and go to sleep already." 

            "Good night, Inu-Yasha." 

            "Good night." 

            Yes, he did feel a bit like a cad, spending the previous night with Kikyo and this night with Kagome (although it wasn't as naughty as it sounded), but he insisted to himself he was trying to sort out his feelings between the two of them. Did he like Kikyo's calmness, her deep insights on life, or Kagome's blunt happiness and warmth? At the moment, he was enjoying the feel of her warm hand on his, and he later fell asleep, his head resting on her pillow beside hers, dreaming of a cold storm with thunder ending and making way for a bright sun and warm air. 


	15. A New Ploy

AN: Okay, sorry for disappearing again, but this time was only half the time of the last update, right? Anyway to make up for it I updated both this and Mermaid's Tale at the same time. Now then, to clear something up… "**Silver:** When most people think of silver weapons killing monsters they think of silver bullets and werewolves, however, silver stakes, spears and daggers have also been known to slow down and kill vampires." I got this off the net (**) **so it shows that in some legends, silver is also used to kill vampires. I already said that in a previous author's note, so I hope that's already cleared (and no one brings it up again ^^;;) Right, so, I don't really like this chapter. I might eventually rewrite it but then again I might leave it as it is. Sesshoumaru may be a tad bit OOC, but hopefully not too much. It'll get better later on, I promise. Third twist's coming up soon…but anyway, hope you, er, enjoy this chapter now and I'll try and update as quickly as I can. 

A New Ploy (even the title's iffy…)

            It was late morning when Sango woke up to begin her shift. She opened the door of the servant's quarters to find Miroku standing there, a huge grin on his face, and a bouquet of the biggest, most poisonous flowers in the entire garden—the blood roses. 

            Her eyes narrowed. "You do realize you could have been killed picking these, right?" 

            "Anything for you," he said proudly. 

            Actually he'd found some pruning shears under a bush and found getting the roses to be quite an easy task. 

            "You do know that there's poison in these things?" 

            Miroku held the bouquet (which was wrapped in what used to be an ugly dress) in one hand and lifted his other hand to Sango, showing the various cloths around his fingers. "Kagome told me to suck it out every time I pierced my finger." He'd finally found her training in the courtyard. "Wish you guys had band-aids, though." He may have had the pruning shears, but the intoxicating smell had fooled him one time…okay, many times. 

            Sango didn't know whether to be flattered or angry. He'd gone through all the trouble for her, but he'd risked himself to do it. They were beautiful flowers, but they were also the deadliest. "Uhm, thank you," she finally said. "You can just put them there, I wouldn't want anyone to be sniffing them." She gestured toward the floor. 

            Miroku's face fell. "You mean you don't want them?" 

            "No! It's just…they're quite _deadly, like I said…"_

            "So you do want them!" Sango blinked and was going to protest again, but Miroku beamed at her so widely she just had to swallow it. "Thank god, I was afraid you wouldn't accept the invitation."

            Sango narrowed her eyes. "What invitation?" 

            "To spend a day with me, of course. The flowers were just a way of asking." 

            She glared at him. "You…you…you can't just do that!" He was infuriating! Thinking he was so charming, so clever…and she'd fallen for it! Urggh… "I have work to do," she said frostily. "You might not know, but when work here doesn't get done someone gets beaten…or worse." She thought of the humans who'd been used to open the gate and shuddered. She didn't want to end up like that. 

            Miroku shrugged. "I'm a vampire hunter, an ally of Kagome's, and we're on a truce. No one would hurt you under our protection." Of course, he was lying through his teeth about the vampire hunter bit, but, like his good ol' motto stated, anything for love. 

            Sango didn't even think about it. "No," she said bluntly, brushing past him. "Now excuse me, I have work to do." 

            "What?" Miroku had not been expecting this. "Why? You said you would!"          

            "I never did! Saying thank you for a bunch of poisonous flowers does not mean 'of course I'll spend the day with you, O Mighty One!'" Sango exploded. "You think it's so easy here, and that I could just forget where I am and what I do and spend time with you. And it's not like I even _want _to anymore, so just leave me alone!" And she continued walking. 

            "Anymore?" came a teasing voice from behind her. 

            Sango stopped and counted to ten. Then she turned around. "Really, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't talk to me anymore," she said in a barely controlled voice. "You've done enough already." 

            Miroku wondered what he'd done, and by the time he finished wondering, Sango had already turned the corner and disappeared. 

*          *          *

            Kagome whirled around the courtyard, her blade whizzing in circles around her. Even if she was on a truce at the moment, she still had to be prepared. Plus, the soothing sounds and actions of routine made it easier for her to settle her thoughts. 

            She'd woken up to find Inu-Yasha still asleep by her side, which had put her in a cheery mood that could probably last the whole day. Probably. But she didn't want to jinx it by thinking that way. She'd found his room and stolen more of his clothes. The large baggy pants gave her so much freedom, she wondered why she hadn't bought a couple of hundred pairs in the first place. They were also similar to the style Kikyo wore. 

            Suddenly she was aware of someone watching her. Someone who wasn't human. 

            Kagome stopped and looked behind her. Sesshoumaru was watching her intently, standing at the edge of the courtyard dressed in a similar fashion as she'd seen him on that night—in white and in full armor. _I guess even he has to be prepared, she thought, a smile tugging at her lips. But this was Sesshoumaru. Her enemy. No smiling, unless it was a) evil smirks or b) the great big smile of victory. _

            She walked towards him, sheathing her sword to show that she wasn't going to lop off his head at any moment. He, in return, didn't reach for his sword. "Good morning," she said, fake cheerfulness dripping off her like melted ice cream. "What are you doing here?" 

            "I reside here," he replied without missing a beat. 

            "Ah, yes," _Duh, _she thought. "Well...so you saw me training." _Repeat first thought, _she winced as Sesshoumaru looked at her calmly. 

            "I have. You are very skilled with the sword," he said in one tone.           

            Her jaw dropped. "Whoa, you just complimented me! That's so weird." 

            "I do not begrudge truthful comments to those who are deserving," he said. "I am not petty, nor a liar." 

            She nodded. _Hmm…maybe Inu-Yasha could take lessons from you sometime. _"So does that mean we're on non-killing terms now?" she asked, though inwardly she laughed at herself for such a thought.  

            Sesshoumaru raised one eyebrow. "Of course not. Once we have resolved our confusion and lifted the truce, I will seek to kill you immediately." 

            Kagome blinked. "Yeah, of course." They were silent for a moment. "Well, since we aren't allowed to kill each other (unfortunately), how would you like a 'friendly' competition? No actual blade contact. Just to test each others' skills?" 

            He considered it. "I have already seen your skills." 

            Kagome smiled, in spite of the rules. It was practically an evil smirk, anyway. "There's more than just patterns, you know." 

            Sesshoumaru's hand was already on the sword hilt before he said, "Very well." His blade flashed in the air and at the spot where Kagome was standing. 

            She was up in the air, her sword glinting in the faint light. As soon as she came down Sesshoumaru struck again, and they flew around the courtyard dodging and attacking each other. Many times his sword came close to nicking her clothes but Kagome would swivel up and feint a bit before getting her own. 

            She loved this. It had been a long time since she'd fought someone who was her equal, perhaps (a _tiny bit) more. She loved this feeling of challenge, of fighting such a powerful person, and it made her think for a moment that maybe, just maybe, she could surpass Kikyo. _

            But she kept her face impassive, save for the occasional evil grin, since she didn't want him reading her. 

            Finally there came a moment when Sesshoumaru fell for one of her feints and left his upper body open. With a cry Kagome shot forward and thrust her sword forward, at the same moment that Sesshoumaru recovered and aimed for her torso. 

            They both froze at the same time, before metal met skin. Sesshoumaru's sword was a fingernail's width away from her stomach, and hers was hovering above his shoulder, ready to slice into his neck. 

            Kagome realized they could kill each other right now, right here. She looked at Sesshoumaru and saw he knew it too. They could both abandon the truce and race to see who could drive the blade in first. It was that simple…her blade was in a more perilous position than his…she could just finish him off now and deal with Naraku…the revenge she'd been trained for would finally be carried through. 

            But was she still fighting for revenge? Kikyo was still alive—the vampires had let her walk freely amongst them. What was there to avenge? _I won't break a truce, _Kagome thought. _I won't break my honor. _And slowly she pulled her sword away. 

            He did the same at almost the exact moment. "It has been a long time since I encountered someone as skilled as you." 

            Kagome, meanwhile, was hugely relieved that he hadn't skewered her. "Um, same," she said. "I thought you fought extremely well."            

            "I didn't hold back. It would be an insult to the both of us if I did not fight my best," he replied. "There are many vampires there who would use tricks and ruin their honor, but I'm not one of them." 

            This was so weird…she was actually having a conversation with one of the most powerful vampire lords ever. A decent conversation, one where they weren't exchanging threats or trying to kill each other while doing so. And _he _was talking to _her about honor. The world was seriously upside down. _

            "Have you made a choice yet?" Sesshoumaru asked suddenly. 

            Kagome looked up at him. "About what?" 

            He sighed, seemingly impatiently. "Naraku is waiting for you to make the decision. It is either you or Kikyo. And there is the matter of that weapon still inside me," he added, his face darkening slightly. 

            "Naraku…" Kagome's expression soured at his name. She hadn't seen him at all since that night, and she wasn't keen on seeing him soon again. But she knew he had to. He wouldn't be so close and not try and see her if he wasn't planning something…

            "I would prefer it if you would make your decision quickly. The stench of Naraku is permeating into my walls. It won't be long before I break the vampire code and kill him." 

            Kagome gaped at him, shocked. "You…you don't like Naraku? Why? Then why's he in your castle?" 

            Sesshoumaru's brows furrowed the tiniest fraction. "Some matters need not be discussed with you, human," he said with the same disdain he'd had the night they'd first met. 

            She put her hands on her hips indignantly. "When the matter is Naraku, you need to discuss it _especially with me," she said in a low tone. "Naraku literally traumatized me when I was a child. Naraku has my _brother_. Naraku is weird! Basically, Naraku is a complete and utter bastard. It's easy to not like him, so tell me why __you don't." _

            "Hmph. What makes you think you have the right to know?" 

            "The enemy of my enemy is my friend," Kagome said, well aware that she had just—albeit indirectly—called Sesshoumaru her friend. 

            A shadow of what could have been disbelief crossed Sesshoumaru's face. "That is not true. We are still enemies." 

            Kagome shook her head. "When we are both against one enemy, we are allies, however much we despise each other. We have the same goal. Now, Sesshoumaru, you still haven't answered my questions." 

            When Sesshoumaru looked down at her, he saw a determined face. This time she resembled Kikyo more than any time because of that stony expression. He remembered the silver bomb residing in his belly and cursed inwardly. He did not have to tell this human anything…but he found himself talking anyway. In a way she was right—if both of them disliked Naraku, it would be much easier to be rid of him. 

            "I feel that Naraku is plotting against me," he stated. "He has been training some members of his clan, and I have received reports of shadows on the outskirts of my castle. Shadows with eyes. I have reason to believe that he wishes to take advantage of our lessened numbers and attack us soon." 

            Kagome's jaw dropped. "What?" When she'd seen them standing together, she thought they'd been sort of co workers, if not friends, dual forces of evil that worked hand in hand to make her life really difficult. "Then what's he doing here?" 

            "He will not leave until he has you, human."                    

            "It's Kagome." 

            "You are human—you all have an unpleasant stench."    

            "My name is Kagome," she repeated, this time more firmly. "Even if we're enemies I'd appreciate it if you'd call me by my name," 

            Sesshoumaru glared at her. Kagome pressed on, "So why would you agree to open the gates for him in your castle, just to let me through?" 

            "Hmph." Sesshoumaru's eyes hardened. "He informed me that Inu-Yasha was in your company. I have been searching for him since he left the castle. He is a disgrace to the Inu-kai, and must be killed. That is the deal we struck—of course, I would do nothing for him if I were not to benefit." 

            "So once I make a decision, whether to go with Naraku or not, you will fight Inu-Yasha," Kagome summed up. When Sesshoumaru just looked at her, she took it as a yes. 

            She plopped down on the courtyard ground and thought about it. If she agreed to go with Naraku, and try to kill him from his own place and regain Souta, Sesshoumaru and the others might fight. And even if they waited for her return, there was that thing about finishing off the Inu-kai clan (although now that she had befriended Shippou, she had a feeling that little bit was going to be difficult). Then there was the whole Kikyo thing…

            Sesshoumaru must have watched her sit there and mutter to herself for about fifteen minutes. She was quite amusing. 

            Finally she rose to her feet, and Sesshoumaru wiped off the tiny smile that was pulling at the corners of his mouth. "Okay, Sesshoumaru, I'll make another deal with you."

            "I'm done with deals." 

            "It involves getting rid of Naraku." 

            "Talk."

            Kagome looked around. Then she spoke in a voice so low Sesshoumaru had to stoop the teeniest bit to hear her. "I'm going to go with Naraku to his castle, to retrieve my brother. I'll go around, gathering as much information about him and his clan as I can. After I kill him I'll come back here, relay what I've learned, and we can attack his castle together." Hah, she and Sesshoumaru doing something together…Myouga would have a heart attack if he heard. 

            Sesshoumaru was silent. "And in return," she continued, "You cannot hurt any of my party until Naraku is dead." 

            "Huh. Your plan has many flaws. It is not so easy to kill Naraku. His immediate clan is very powerful. And if you do manage, by some miracle, to kill him, you will still have to escape alive and find your way here." 

            "As soon as I have Souta in my possession, I _will _kill him," Kagome said determinedly. "I've been planning it for six years—he's going down." A series of evil smirks followed. "I'm as strong as Kikyo, and she was a legend. I can do this. But no one can get hurt while I'm gone." 

            He thought about it for a long while. Kagome had to admit to herself that her plan was rough, but as long as she had the basic idea down, she could develop it at it progressed—and there was always room for improvisation. 

            "Very well," he said. "It is a very fragile plan, but we will try it. It is, after all, your life on the line. Only a human would be so willing to throw it away." 

            "If you look at it that way, yes," Kagome said seriously. "But when it's for someone you love dearly, they are important enough for you to do all sorts of things with your life. Like come back to life. Or put it on the line. It's the same thing." She let the words sink in for a moment. "I've made my decision. I'll just go get my things." 

            Sesshoumaru watched her as she walked out of the courtyard. She was so enigmatic…did she really think her plan was going to work? 

            Well, in any case, she was determined to kill Naraku, and for that Sesshoumaru was willing to work alongside humans, alongside people who had sworn to kill him. 

            Of course, her plan needed some tweaking, which he was planning to do. He wasn't exactly going to wait in the castle until her return…

*          *          *

            Naraku was sitting on top of the east wall of the castle, where his room was nearby, playing lightly with a blood rose. A few meters away, a boy sat, his feet dangling over the edges, looking forlorn and miserable. 

            Kagura had just sent him a letter, saying that everyone was ready. That was good. Soon he could attack this place and eliminate Sesshoumaru, that arrogant son of a bitch. And with people like Kagura and Kanna, it would be an easy victory. 

            Naraku smiled and extended the rose toward the boy. "These things smell lovely. Have a sniff." 

            Souta shook his head and moved away. He'd fallen for that trick once already, with painful results. Naraku laughed and withdrew the flower. "Suit yourself." He took a huge whiff and let his brain clog with a thick, numbing cloud. Ah…there was no drug better than the scent of a blood rose. 

            "Where's my sister?" Souta asked in a quiet voice, hoarse from lack of use. 

            "Ah, your lovely sister. She hasn't been looking for you, you know. Maybe she's forgotten all about you," he said lightly. 

            The boy shook his head. "Kagome wouldn't do that! You know she's here! I've heard the servants say she is." 

            "Now, boy, no whining. You see, Kagome isn't allowed to see you until she agrees to come with me. It wouldn't be fair if she got you and I got nothing, would it?" Naraku was obviously having fun as Souta's face grew longer. "And she isn't very open to that idea." 

            "I want to see her. I want—" 

            "NARAKU!!!" 

            The loud cry silenced Souta and made him look around. In a flash Naraku went to the boy and covered his mouth. "No talking, Souta, she isn't supposed to see you," he whispered. "Now, I'm going to hang you off the edge of this wall, and if you utter a peep I'll drop you, Understand?" Souta nodded, terrified, as the cold hand pressed harder against his skin. 

            "Naraku, you effing bastard, get your damn face in view!" Kagome yelled, walking alongside the wall. She was wearing the baggiest attire he'd ever seen—it looked like she had grabbed the biggest clothes in the entire castle and thrown it over her small frame. 

            Naraku grabbed Souta's arm and hung him off the other side of the wall, dangling meters in the air. Souta couldn't help but whimper slightly. 

            The vampire turned around and smiled down at the other side. "Yes, Kagome, what do you want?" 

            "I've made my decision," she called up to him as coldly as she could. 

            He grinned widely, and his sharp fangs were visible even in the dark light. "Oh? Will I like it or will Inu-Yasha like it? Then again does Inu-Yasha still care, now that he's got his old whor—" 

            A dagger shot into the stone just a hands' width away. "Shut up," she said angrily. "Don't bring Inu-Yasha into this. I'm going with you." 

            "That's a wise decision," Naraku said. "So you have agreed to wed me?" 

            "I never said anything like that. I said I'd go with you to your castle. That's all." Her face was stony. "We can talk there, after you show me Souta." 

            He always thought that she would have had to break down sooner or later…eventually she would decide to join him. "What about Inu-Yasha?" he asked, eyes narrowing at the same. 

            "What about him? He doesn't concern you. Only me. Only I am going," Kagome replied without missing a beat. "The only thing I'm concerning myself with is Souta." 

            "Well, if that's the case, why wait until we go to the castle? For such quick decision making, you can see your beloved Souta now." And Naraku lifted the boy up with one arm and hurled him toward Kagome. 

            "_Souta__!" Lightning fast Kagome leapt up and caught Souta—they fell tumbling back onto the ground. _

            Kagome was now hurting in various places, including one that would make it difficult for her to sit later, but she didn't care. She held Souta to her, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. "Souta," she whispered, tears trickling down her face. Against her chest Souta was sobbing too. How long had she waited for this moment? He was so big now. "It's okay, I'm not going to let that bastard take you again, Souta. I'm going to kill him and we're going to get out of here…" 

            "…You sound kinda scary, Sis…"          

            Naraku watched them cling to each other on the ground. He had seen Kagome hug her brother, he had seen her embrace Inu-Yasha. Neither of those two deserved such a powerful person as Kagome. One day it would be he that Kagome would embrace. "Let's go, then. We leave immediately." 

            Kagome stood up, helping Souta to his feet. "Souta stays with me from now on," she said firmly. 

            "Very well." He was glad to be relieved of the boy anyway, now that he had Kagome. 

            "And we will meet you at the front of the castle," Kagome added. "I am getting Souta something to eat, god knows how you must have starved him."           

            Naraku's eyes narrowed. "You will not talk of your decision to anyone," he said warningly. "I will inform Sesshoumaru of your decision. I'll find out if you were talking with anyone," he said. 

            Kagome glared at him. "Fine," she spat out. "Come on, Souta." She took his hand and led him away from Naraku. 

            _You have to forget about everyone else, Kagome, _Naraku thought, his lips curling into a smile. _From now on, it will only be me. _

*          *          *

            _So much for that cheery mood, _Kagome thought, sighing heavily. She walked around the castle, trying to find the kitchen. She hadn't been lying when she said she wanted to feed Souta, the poor boy looked half starved. But that was only half the reason why she wanted to get away. 

            She wanted to find Inu-Yasha. Sure, Myouga and the others could find out what she was up to from Sesshoumaru, but she wanted to see Inu-Yasha before she left. Of course she couldn't tell him, because knowing him he'd lock her in her room and not let her go, but she wanted to see him because…well, all sorts of things could happen. She was going to a miserable hell-hole for god knew how long, and she wanted to remember Inu-Yasha's face like when she woke up that morning. 

            Once in the kitchens, she told the servants to get Souta whatever he wanted. She didn't want to leave him alone, but if she dashed toward Inu-Yasha's room quick enough, she would be able to see him and get back before Souta even swallowed his first bite. 

            Kagome rushed towards Inu-Yasha's bedroom, the various weapons hidden underneath her clothing clinking against each other. She must look like a huge mass of …something…but she couldn't just parade them in front of Naraku. 

            She stopped at his door and was about to enter when she heard voices. A male and a female. Inu-Yasha and Kikyo. 

            "I'll tell her we won't get the Shikon jewel," Inu-Yasha was saying. "I'll tell her you keep it, and you'll come with us when we get out of here." 

            "I do not know if I will still live in the outside world…I am allowed to here, because this is a realm with a paralyzed time, but outside…"

            "Don't think of it that way. Look, we'll find a way. I'll find a way. There's no way I'm leaving you here." 

            "Can me and Kagome co-exist? Can we both love you, Inu-Yasha? Can you love us both? As usual, you talk before you think." 

            "Aw, don't think like that…Kikyo. I couldn't protect you before. So I have to now. And it's more than I have to, I—I want to. Really. I won't leave you behind. I'm staying with you." 

            Kagome let it all sink in slowly. 

            As she had made her decision, Inu-Yasha had made his. 

            She opened the door. 

            Kikyo was sitting on the bed, with Inu-Yasha standing over her, his hands on her arms. They both looked up at her, Kikyo impassive, Inu-Yasha stunned. 

            What could she say? "Hi, bye"? "I'm sorry to interrupt but I'm off to kill Naraku." "No, we can't co-exist, Inu-Yasha, you dumbass!" "What about my kiss?" But no, she didn't say any of these things. 

            She smiled at him. "Take care of Miroku, okay? I wouldn't be surprised if he gets himself in trouble." 

            Now Inu-Yasha looked like she'd just socked him with a rubber mallet. 

            "Okay," he said slowly, "But why—" 

            "Yeah, I see you're busy, and so am I," she interrupted. "So…I'm gonna go!" And she hightailed it out of there, wondering why the hell her last view of Inu-Yasha had to be with Kikyo and why the hell she had to mention Miroku in her parting words. 

            Even after picking up Souta and waddling towards the entrance, the thoughts still reeled in her head. 

            He had chosen Kikyo. 

            "Hey, Kagome, what's up?" 

            Still dumbfounded, Kagome looked up. Speak of the devil. Miroku stood in front of her, grinning. "You're looking kinda chubby all of a sudden." His gaze went downward and his eyes widened. "Hey, isn't that—" 

            _Dammit__. Kagome mentally slapped her forehead. Souta stared up at Miroku, except he was more curious than shocked. "Kagome, you got Souta. But how—" _

            "No one is to know," she hissed, cutting him off. "No one can know just yet, so you better keep your mouth shut about it." Miroku blinked in surprise. Kagome knew how harsh she sounded, but she didn't even think of apologizing. "I mean it, Miroku. Don't tell anyone. If you even crack a joke I'll crack your bones." 

            Miroku's lips tugged upward, but something in her tone made him stop from smiling. "Kagome, what's going on? Does Inu-Yasha know?" 

            She snorted. "Hmph, he's too busy with Kikyo to be bothered with this. He's chosen her, Miroku. He's with her as we speak, and I didn't feel like interrupting them." 

            Miroku looked concerned. "You're acting funny, Kagome. He should know about this. I'll go tell him for you." 

            Kagome narrowed her eyes. Inu-Yasha was the last person who ought to know. Especially now. "If you tell him," she said in a low tone, "I'll kill you."

            This time Miroku really felt like laughing. Kagome was seriously joking right now. She'd never kill him, not even with that murderous look blazing in her eyes or the stoniness of her face or her hand hovering near her belt. 

            Eh…

            She wouldn't, right? 

            "Actually…" Kagome began softly. Miroku leaned forward. This was it, she'd changed her mind. She was going to tell him exactly what was going on. 

            She pushed Souta towards Miroku, who caught him with surprise. "You take care of Souta. It's too dangerous to take him to his—to where I'm going. Don't let anyone see him." She bent down and looked Souta in the eye. "Don't let anyone see you. And if you hear Miroku spilling the beans, give him a good kick." 

            "Kagome—" Miroku tried one last time. 

            Kagome brushed past him. What would be Inu-Yasha's reaction? Would he even care, now that she was out of the picture and he had Kikyo with him? 

            What could she do about it? Not much. It was his decision. And she couldn't be bothered with it, because she had to concentrate on her mission. Not fulfilling Myouga's, or finishing Kikyo's, or following Sesshoumaru's. This was her own. 

            And she was going to show everyone just what she was capable off. 

            Too bad the Gods of Evil Fate and Doom were laughing at her right now. 


	16. Hitting Against the Wall

            AN: You know, I just got so tired of this story. I just woke up and thought 'bah, don't wanna write this.' I only managed to write it after I changed the ending of the last chapter, coz I was stuck with the old ending and didn't know where to go. Amazing what a small change can do…^^;. I apologize, and will keep trying to work on this story. Speed wrote ¾ of this thing late afternoon so I could post it by 8:00 tonight . even though I had almost 4 months…0.0 Procrastination will be the death of me…haven't even started on my speech! Wah! Apologize in advance for any errors…

Hitting Against the Wall

            "Kagome!" Inu-Yasha yelled, poking his head in her bedroom. "Where the heck are you? Myouga wants to meet with us! Kagomeee!" He entered and pulled the sheets off the bed, in case she might be hiding inside. "Kagome, come on, there's no time for jokes. Get out here." He narrowed his eyes. Maybe she was planning some sort of surprise attack on him. Suspiciously he looked up, then under the bed, then all around him. "Seriously. Your ass out here now." He went into the bathroom. Nada. 

            "Where the hell is she?" he grumbled, stepping out into the hallway where a human servant girl was creeping against the wall. He watched her curiously. "What are you doing?" 

            She made a shushing motion with her finger. Inu-Yasha growled impatiently. "Look, do you know where Kagome is or not?" 

            "I don't know anything, all right?" the servant girl snapped loudly. 

            "Sango!" Miroku popped up from around the corner. "There you are, I was looking all over for you." The girl groaned. "Seriously, it's almost like you've been hiding from me all this time. Listen, could you go to the kitchen and take care of something for me—" 

            Inu-Yasha grabbed Miroku's arm. "Have you seen Kagome? I've been running around the entire damn castle looking for her." 

            Was it just his imagination, or did Miroku actually turn a shade pale? "Uh…haven't seen her, no, sorry," he said, brushing Inu-Yasha's hand off. "Excuse me, will ya? There's a pretty servant girl waiting for me." This brought up an enraged squeak from the said servant girl named Sango. 

            The vampire glared at Miroku. "You suck at lying, Miroku. Where is she?" 

            Miroku gulped and shriveled down to half his size under Inu-Yasha's glare. "I don't know. Honestly."

            "You know something." Anger was starting to swell in him, combined with an unsettling feeling that felt like dropping rocks in his stomach. "Why won't you tell me?" 

            "I can't, all right? She said she'd kill me if I told you. Besides, if she really wanted you to know she'd tell you yourself!" Miroku yelled suddenly. 

            That sounded all wrong to Inu-Yasha. Where the hell was she? And why wouldn't she tell him? And why would Miroku actually take a threat like that seriously? From the way he was talking, it sounded as if she was up to something, and it didn't sound good. 

            "You're coming with me," Inu-Yasha said shortly. He grabbed Miroku for the second time and marched him down the hallway. "I'm going to find out where she is if I have to force it out of you." 

            Miroku struggled for awhile, but realized early on (like two seconds into it) that it was a futile struggle. He sighed. "She didn't want you to know. She said you were too busy with Kikyo to be bothered." 

            Inu-Yasha stopped. The rocks in his stomach just became boulders. "What did you say?" 

            "Just repeating what she said," he shrugged. "Maybe she saw something, heard something, I dunno. Maybe you _were too busy with Kikyo and she couldn't find the right place to interrupt—" _

            "Shut up!" Inu-Yasha growled. Miroku fell silent. That silence remained for another few seconds. Then Inu-Yasha started walking again. 

            They continued in silence for some more time when Inu-Yasha spoke up hestitantly, "Er….she hasn't gone and offed herself, has she?" 

            Miroku practically reeled back in shock. "Hell no, how stupid do you think she is? Or actually, how much do you think she likes you?"

            Inu-Yasha frowned. He knew Kagome wasn't exactly going to jump off the roof of a castle just because she'd seen him with Kikyo…but what had she seen? What had she been thinking? And what the hell did Miroku mean? Was he saying she didn't like him? 

            "Maybe she does like you enough to almost off herself," Miroku said, as if answering him. "But maybe she doesn't realize it yet. Or maybe she has, which is why she didn't want to tell you."

            Inu-Yasha closed his eyes. If he were Kagome, and he had just seen something and interpreted it the wrong way, where would he be? 

            "Come to think of it," Miroku added, "I remember hearing her say something about you choosing Kikyo."

            "Oh god…" Inu-Yasha's mind flew back to the conversation he'd had with Kikyo. "She took it the completely wrong way…" He remembered her, smiling unusually brightly, spouting off about Miroku, what had she said? Oh yeah, to take care of him. Shit, he should have realized it from there. 

            Another realization hit him. "Miroku, when you saw her, did she have a little boy with her? Did she have Souta with her?" 

            His stomach twisted horribly when Miroku's shoulders lifted in a careless shrug. "You said it, not me," he said simply. 

            "Oh, shit…" Inu-Yasha's head was pounding. He reached the room where Myouga and the others were waiting and slowly slid it open. 

            "Inu-Yasha! Did you find Kagome?" Myouga asked, getting up from his seat. Already with him were Falcon, Takada, and Kikyo. 

            "Kagome's with Naraku," Inu-Yasha said bluntly. 

            The reactions varied, but all got out the same message: complete shock. Myouga's jaw dropped to the floor (not a far distance from his head), Falcon's right eyebrow shot up, Takada fell off his chair, and Kikyo's teacup froze halfway to her mouth. 

            "What on earth is she doing with Naraku?!" Myouga roared, suddenly looking furious. 

            "She made her decision. You know what the bargain was." Inu-Yasha knew it too, but he didn't know all of it. After all, he'd been outside holding Kikyo to him while Myouga and Kagome negotiated. 

            Myouga rubbed his forehead. "Kagome had to choose—take Souta but go with Naraku, or to stay here without her brother. It was either her or Kikyo who had a choice. Once either of them did, the truce was over." 

            Inu-Yasha snarled. "So that she's gone off to marry Naraku while we have to fight for our lives here?" 

            "You will not fight for your lives here…not yet, anyway." Sesshoumaru, with perfect timing, spoke from the door. "The girl and I negotiated another deal. We were not to fight until her return." 

            "You guys made a deal?" Inu-Yasha growled, while Myouga said at the same time, "Her return?"            

            Sesshoumaru gave them a cold, "Hmph, must I explain myself?" look. "While all of you were sitting around doing nothing except using up my resources, she and I made a deal. I revealed to her my suspicions of Naraku being a traitor. We have formed an—" he paused, his lip curling disdainfully, "_alliance _with each other to rid us of Naraku. That involved her agreeing to his terms and going with him to his castle, to investigate and spy on his clan. Her plan was to kill Naraku, escape, return, and we would storm in and wipe out his clan."

            Myouga shook his head. "That will never work. She'll die trying." 

            Inu-Yasha's head was pounding harder. This wasn't right…Myouga couldn't say that. Kagome would be fine, she could kick ass on her own. But another part of him agreed with Miroku, that Kagome could die doing this. He couldn't think of her fighting for her life, in grave danger…all the previous times he'd been there beside her, but this time she was on her own. 

            His half brother gave the tiniest nod. "We seem to agree on that. Which is why I am heading for his castle now, to fight his clan. If you wish to come, then for this one battle we shall fight alongside each other. But only this once. And never again. We will use the element of surprise, while his main concern is the girl." 

            Falcon stood from her seat. "But do we have a chance? We don't know the strength of his clan, which is why Kagome is there. Perhaps we should let her scope it out."

            "If we leave her there she'll die!" Inu-Yasha burst out. "I'd rather we go there and help her rather than make her face them all alone. Shit, we can't win in either situation, can we?" He glared at Sesshoumaru. "When this is over I'm gonna kill you. You sent Kagome out there, and she might die because of it."

            "Of course she might die," Sesshoumaru said. "But she knew it, and she went out on her own. Anyone who is in her place knows of the risks." For the briefest moment, his gaze flickered over to Kikyo. "When one is a vampire hunter one accepts the possibility of death. Isn't that right, Myouga?" 

            Fists clenched, Myouga nodded. 

The vampire lord looked at Inu-Yasha again. "I wonder if you would be so concerned if this were not the human girl. If it had been her," he gestured at Falcon, "Or him," to Takada, "in the girl's place, would you be so angry?"

            Before Inu-Yasha could answer, Kikyo rose from her seat. "I will go along," she said. "The more people you have, the better."

            The whole world was screwed over, Inu-Yasha thought, taking deep breaths to calm himself down. He couldn't let Kikyo go. What if he lost both of them, Kikyo and Kagome? What if the sight of him and Kikyo drove Kagome further away? But he knew he couldn't stop Kikyo—she was more powerful than him, they needed her. 

            "Perhaps, Inu-Yasha, you should concentrate on your own decisions set before you, rather than those of Kagome," Sesshoumaru said. Leaving his younger half-brother fuming, he turned to the others. "We will leave in the morning. Gather your weapons and whatever you need from the storeroom. Get an Inu-kai to get it for you, I don't want the stench of humans in there." 

            "How're we supposed to know when morning is?" Takada asked dryly. "I mean, your sky has only so many shades—dark black red and dark black red." 

            "We will leave when I give the order," Sesshoumaru said stonily. 

            He turned around and left the room without another word. At the table Myouga sat down again with a huge sigh. Inu-Yasha remained standing, his posture stiff. He couldn't relax until Kagome was there safe beside him. 

*          *          *

            Kagome, meanwhile, was staring out at the oldest, darkest, creepiest castle she'd ever seen. Well, she'd only seen one other, but this was still pretty icky…

            "I always wondered why you hung out in Sesshoumaru's place," she said casually. "This place looks like it could use some sunshine." She turned to look at Naraku with a grin. 

            "Learn to love it," Naraku replied. "You have all the time in the world, after all." 

            She stuck out her tongue. They walked up the wide stairs to the castle, Kagome lagging slightly behind because of all the weapons she carried. "You better have some good food, at least," she grumbled. 

            Naraku didn't answer. When they reached the top of the stairs, he looked around the entrance of the castle, the entire floor shrouded in mist. "Kagura, Kanna, come to me," he called out in a deep voice that shook the stone. 

            Through the mist two figures walked. When they were closer Kagome realized they were women. No, a woman and a girl. The woman had black hair pulled back in a ponytail and decorated with hair ornaments, and carried a fan in her white fingers. The little girl had long silvery hair like the Inu-kai, except her eyes were a hollow black. She held a round, circular mirror in front of her that didn't reflect the surroundings. 

            "You summoned, oh great master?" the woman asked dryly. The girl remained silent. 

            "Kagura, take Kagome to rest in suitable quarters," he said, stepping to the side so that Kagome was in plain view of the two. "The best there are." 

            Kagome swallowed when Kagura's gaze shifted to her. Her expression didn't exactly give off the impression of a warm welcome. "So this is Kagome, the great vampire hunter of this era." Her scowl grew deeper. "She doesn't look like much." 

            Kagome shot her a glare of her own. She would show Kagura exactly how much she was worth. Oh yes, she would show Kagura just how much when she stuck a sword up her—

            "As for you, Kanna, tend to her needs. Make her feel more welcome," he said in a tone that spoke of a secret meaning. Kanna nodded slightly without looking at Kagome. Kagome thought the child was kinda scary, scarier than Kagura…she'd have to watch out around her. 

            "So should I take her now, or what? You wanna play with her a little?" Kagura asked in a bored tone. 

            The hairs on the back of Kagome's neck rose. _She did not __just say that. Oh, gross. _

"It's Kagome's decision. She's not a guest, anyway. She has chosen to stay here." 

            Kagome rolled her eyes. "Only for awhile, then I'm going to find a way to kick your ass. This is only for letting Souta go." She casually stretched her arms above her head and gave an exaggerated yawn. "I'll go the room, then," she said, grinning at Kagura. "If your servant doesn't mind." 

            Kagura screeched and opened her fan with a sharp flick. Kagome felt a sharp breeze whirling around her legs before Naraku stopped Kagura. "Stop it. Kagura is one of my kin, soon to be one of yours, too. You will treat each other civilly."

            Both women put their hands on their hips. "How can a _vampire hunter be our kin?" Kagura sniffed.  
            "And who are you to order me around?" Kagome added huffily. _

            "I am the lord of this clan," Naraku said loudly. For the briefest moment Kagome felt the fear she'd once experienced around him, to remind her of what he was capable of. "If you wish to be on equal footing with me, you are welcome to come with me to my own quarters." 

            As quickly as it had come the fear left, and Kagome was left with just utter repulsion. "I'll—go—to—my—own—thanks," she muttered through gritted teeth, thinking if she opened her mouth wider she was going to scream in disgust. 

            Kagura had found the whole thing amusing, but still looked at Kagome like she wanted to rip her apart. "Hmph. Come with me then," she said, turning around and entering the castle. With a dirty look back at Naraku, Kagome followed her. 

            Kanna stayed behind. Naraku placed a hand on her shoulder. "You know what to do, Kanna," he said with a smile. 

"It's easy to forget," Kanna whispered, though she wasn't talking about herself. 

"Don't worry, and just do the job right. She'll make a wonderful mother for you." 

*          *          *

            As soon as Kagome entered the castle she felt the strong aura of vampires. Naraku's clan seemed pretty powerful just from their aura. Especially the woman in front of her, Kagura…her presence was irritating Kagome like an itch on the inside of her skin. 

            "What are you planning, slayer?" Kagura asked, breaking the silence of the past few minutes. 

            "Huh? What do you mean?" Kagome blinked innocently. 

            "Obviously you don't plan on being our kin, and obviously you don't plan on keeping us alive. So what's going on in that small head of yours?" 

            Kagome resisted the urge to call Kagura something really really nasty. "Obviously, whatever I'm planning I'm not telling you anything," she snorted. Then, after a pause, she added, "Duh." 

            "But you don't think you'll get out of this castle alive if you go against Naraku…" Kagura laughed at the thought. 

            "Of course I will!" Kagome snapped. 

            It was only after Kagura looked at her in amusement for awhile that Kagome realized she had to work harder at keeping her big mouth shut. Inu-Yasha wouldn't have let her say anything stupid like that—

            No! Kagome shook her head. _Must…not...be…dependent! Blah! I can do this on my own. _

            "So anyway, what are _you _to Naraku?" Kagome asked casually, as if she'd just asked about the weather. "Like an old flame, a sister…his mom?" 

            That seemed to strike Kagura as the funniest thing. She threw her head back and laughed, her laughter echoing down the hallway. "Naraku is my maker," she said, still chuckling. 

            "Oh." _What was so funny about _that_? _

"I was a bit older than you when I met him. He was quite handsome and more charming than the other boys my age." 

            Kagome _tsked sympathetically. "Geez that's terrible…not many decent men back then?" _

            "When he offered to change me, I accepted readily. I thought that we would rule his clan together." Kagura's lips curled sardonically. "But no, I'm here just to serve him, to carry out his dirty work, and babysit when he's gone. You must be really important, if he had to leave and fetch you himself." 

            _Fetch? _Fetch? "We go way back," Kagome shrugged. From the way Kagura was talking, it seemed she had bitter feelings towards Naraku. Maybe when the time came to fight, she could convince Kagura to switch sides. 

            "I'd never betray him, though," Kagura said, as if she'd read Kagome's thoughts. "I still have my honor." She stopped in front of a large door and pushed it open. The door spread open from the middle, breaking into two parts. "Here's your room. Stay in there until Naraku tells you what to do." Kagome walked through the door, surveying the interior.

 Kagura looked Kagome up and down, scrutinizing her. "You look kind of big, actually. I don't know what Naraku was thinking when he said you looked like Kikyo. I've seen her up close, and though I hate to admit it, she's quite pretty." She leaned forward and grabbed the handles of each door half. Then she looked up and gave Kagome a final grin. "Don't know what happened to you." 

            The doors were shut just in time before Kagome pulled a knife from her clothes and lunged at Kagura. She drove the metal into hard wood instead. "I'll kill you myself," she snarled. 

            She rubbed her forehead and headed toward the bed, but stopped when she saw someone standing beside it. 

            "How'd you get here?" 

*          *          *

            "So you're my sister's boyfriend?" Souta asked for the thousandth, sitting on the edge of Inu-Yasha's bed. 

            Inu-Yasha grit his teeth and for the thousandth time fought the urge to strangle the kid. "No, kid, I'm not her boyfriend," he replied for, yes, the thousandth time. "Now will you quite bugging me and let me concentrate?" 

            "But you're just standing there holding a rusty sword," he pointed out. "How much concentration do you need?" 

            "Whatever. I just need you to shut up," Inu-Yasha said, only half-listening. He had to make sure he had everything he needed, had everything planned out. 

            "Why aren't you my sister's boyfriend?" 

            "Why does it matter to you so much, huh?" Inu-Yasha snapped. 

            "That's what Miroku told me, and you're telling me something different. So who's telling the truth?" 

            "I am. Look, your sister got herself into this stupid situation and I have to haul her ass out of Naraku's place. That's all." 

            Souta brought his knees up to his chest. "I've been in Naraku's castle," he said softly, no longer in that curious, pesky tone. 

            Inu-Yasha noticed it, and looked at him. "I know," he said quietly. 

            "It's not a nice place." 

            "I know." 

            "He's not a nice person." 

            "No shi—I mean, that's true." 

            Souta remained quiet for awhile. Inu-Yasha, while now burdened with the image of a really menacing castle, was relieved Souta had stopped bugging him about Kagome. 

            At least until the next time Souta opened his mouth. "If you're not my sister's boyfriend, then why are you the only one who's really worked up about her leaving?" 

            "Well, because—because she's always going out and doing dumb things, and I always have to get her out of it!" Inu-Yasha said defensively. 

            "Oh, okay." Pause. "So you're worried about her?" 

            _I will not kill Kagome's brother, I will not kill Kagome's brother…_he wondered why Kagome had ever wanted to save him in the first place. After all, if it weren't for him, Kagome would be right here…not the best thing to be thinking, but it was true. 

            "I heard Kagome tell Miroku you chose the other girl, I forgot her name. The one who looks like my sister. She didn't want you to know anything. She sounded pretty angry about it. Guess that means she liked you. Doesn't that mean anything to you? Anything?" 

            "For crying out loud get out of my room!" Inu-Yasha yelled. What was it with him and little kids? Why did they have to be their most annoying when they were around him? Even with Shippou…

            "Okay, okay, I'm gone," Souta said, hopping off the bed. "Guess I should be glad you aren't my sister's boyfriend, you being so temperamental and all." He walked towards the door. "I'll go find Miroku. Since you aren't talking, I know he's got all the answers." 

            Inu-Yasha groaned. There was just no way to win. 

*          *          *

            Kanna moved closer to her, holding the mirror in front of her. She looked creepy, edging toward Kagome in her white dress, with her white skin and pale hair. 

            Kagome held the knife warningly in front of her. "How'd you get here so fast?" she asked. Kanna didn't answer. 

            "What are you doing here? Get out," she said in a low voice. 

            Kanna only moved closer. "You have to forget," she whispered. 

            "Forget what?" 

            Smoke began to stream out of her mirror. Kagome took a step back. "He's bad for you," Kanna said softly. "It's hopeless." 

            Before Kagome could reply, the smoke gathered around Kagome, thick and white and blinding. Kagome choked and tried brushing the smoke away. Finally she saw Kanna again, holding the mirror. All of a sudden the mirror flared bright, and light shone from its surface. There was a loud ringing sound. Kagome covered her eyes until the ringing faded into echoes. When she looked up, she was in complete blackness. 

            She sighed. "Oh god, not this stuff again…"

            But this time she wasn't looking at her brother. She was looking at Inu-Yasha. Why would Naraku show her Inu-Yasha? 

            She watched Inu-Yasha leave his room and walk down the hallway. "Inu-Yasha!" she called out, knowing that before, Souta could hear her. But this time he couldn't hear her. He turned a couple corners and stopped at Kikyo's room. 

            "You both are silent to each other," Kanna said, stepping beside Kagome. In front of them, Kikyo had just opened her door. 

            The two of them talked by the door, Kikyo's hand resting lightly on Inu-Yasha's arm. Kagome couldn't hear them and she couldn't read their lips, the image seemed distorted somehow. Then the scene switched to Kikyo sitting on the bed, Inu-Yasha standing over her. The same scene Kagome had walked into when she agreed to go with Naraku. Kagome blinked. "They still don't know that I'm gone," she murmured. 

            Images of the two of them popped up, one after the other. Kagome even saw glimpses of their past. A calm and collected Kikyo admonishing a sullen looking Inu-Yasha. Kikyo smiling. The two of them holding hands. Kissing. 

            "See what you're disrupting?" Kanna said. "He's not good for you. The dead stay with the dead." 

            The scene switched to the two of them, Inu-Yasha and Kagome, in Myouga's backyard, clinging to each other. Only this time Inu-Yasha was sucking the blood from her neck. Nothing too romantic about that. "See what happens when the dead tries to love the living?" Kanna said. Another image, of Kikyo falling to her 'death.' "They were cursed when she was alive. But they are together now. No room for you." 

            A vein pulsed in Kagome's temple. "No way…Naraku's playing mind games with me," she said. It was getting harder to speak, her head was getting heavier…

            "Naraku can make you forget," Kanna whispered. "You don't have to feel the pain." 

            Her head was hurting now, like it was being pressed down from all directions. "No," she said again, barely getting the words out. "He—can't—do this!" 

            There was a shattering sound, and the images disappeared. Kagome was falling, until she hit a soft blanket of darkness. 

            And then she was dreaming of Inu-Yasha, hazy, distorted dreams. Dreams she hadn't allowed herself to have. Holding Inu-Yasha, kissing him, all those things he'd done with Kikyo, except with her. This time he was all hers. 

            Kanna watched Kagome sprawled on the bed (who probably didn't even care how she got there), fidgeting in her sleep. She was mumbling Inu-Yasha's name over and over again.

She looked down at her mirror, where there was a small crack. She would have to get it fixed and try again. 

            "It didn't work?" 

            "No," Kanna said simply. "She was prepared." 

            Naraku moved over to the bed, his features malevolent. "Leave now, Kanna," he said. 

            When Kanna was gone, Naraku shook Kagome. She burst out of sleep with a gasp. Her eyes scanned her surroundings quickly, to get her bearings. Then they fell on Naraku. "You! What are you—" 

            Her words ended in a horrible choke when Naraku's hand lashed out and curled itself around her throat. She scratched at his arm, but he kept his grip firm. "I have shown you too much kindness," he said in a voice she hadn't heard before. She couldn't say anything, even glare at him, because all she was focused on was trying to get air. 

            "If you say his name again, I will change you by force," Naraku said harshly. "Just once, and I will hear it, and you will be changed. Do you understand me?" 

            Kagome gurgled, unable to form words. 

            He loosened his grip the slightest fraction. "You won't ever say his name again," he repeated. "Is that clear?" 

            "Y…ysess!" Kagome forced out. 

            "Good." Naraku released her throat, pushing her head against the headboard before doing so. Kagome clawed at her throat, sucking in deep amounts of air. 

            "Don't forget that, Kagome," Naraku said smoothly rising up and heading towards the door. When Kagome blinked again, he was gone. 

            Kagome winced as she rubbed her damaged throat. Forget saying Inu-Yasha's name, probably now she could barely speak. Maybe she'd underestimated Naraku, and bitten off way more than she could chew. 


	17. Change

            AN: It's out, it's out, it's finally out! Yes! I pushed aside all my homework just to get this out! And don't mention anything about the long update time…you know, since I always give out feeble excuses, I'm gonna make them really creative now. Um, I didn't update soon because…I squeezed the toothpaste tube in the middle and was traumatized for a month! Well okay not really…well, I'd like to comment on this chapter, but I think I'll just let you guys read it. Thanks for the reviews, guys! Enjoy the chapter ^^

Change

            "What the hell is taking them so long?" Inu-Yasha growled, pacing angrily in the large room where they'd attacked the vampires, and where he'd found Kikyo. 

            Sesshoumaru was standing across the room. He was making plans of attack in his head, and each time his half-brother spoke up his plans scurried all out of place and filled him with irritation. "Be silent and wait," he said shortly, trying to gather the plan in his mind. 

            "I can't wait!" Inu-Yasha burst out. "At the moment, as we speak, Naraku is probably trying to do something to Kagome. We can't just take our time!"

            Sesshoumaru remembered, a very long time ago when Inu-Yasha was just a pup, he'd had to explain everything to him. Why the roses hurt when he picked them. Why he had to drink blood to survive. Inu-Yasha never got it then—it had taken awhile for his brain to comprehend it And now, after all this time…Inu-Yasha was still as stupid and thick-headed as ever. 

            "Inu-Yasha," he said, not even bothering to pretend to be patient, "Naraku is not just another vampire. He's powerful. He drank the blood of many clan lords. His clan has powers I don't know of. Rushing in blindly will solve nothing, and will only lead to our defeat." 

            "How long does it take to pick up a sword?" Inu-Yasha argued. "You know what? I think you're just delaying this so Naraku can weaken Kagome. So when the time comes to finally kill you, you'll have an advantage." He glared hatefully at Sesshoumaru. "You're a coward." 

            That was rich. Sesshoumaru locked gazes with Inu-Yasha, making sure that his brother heard every word. "_I _am a coward? I am not the one who ran away from the fight fifty years ago. I am not the one who ran from the dead to join the living." He spoke slowly, each word weighted down by its worth. "And it was not I who ran from the living to join the dead." 

            The collision of blades stopped his speech. Inu-Yasha had drawn Tetsusaiga and lunged at Sesshoumaru, who'd drawn his own sword to block him. The brothers stood there, blades locked, Sesshoumaru cool as glass and Inu-Yasha furiously baring his teeth. 

            The Inu-kai lord looked down at the silver sword, which was glowing softly. Kagome had purified it so it was stronger than ever. "The Tetsusaiga should have been mine," he stated softly. "You are not fit to wield it." 

            "Neither are you," Inu-Yasha snarled. "It's a silver sword, dumbass." 

            "The Tetsusaiga was meant for war, destruction, power," Sesshoumaru said. "It was not meant for cowards like you."

            "If it wasn't meant for me, then why'd Dad give it to me, huh?" Inu-Yasha shot back. "You can't touch it." 

            Sesshoumaru moved the blade up alongside Inu-Yasha's, the metal making a soft _sshhhhink_as it slid against metal. Sesshoumaru turned the blade around and slid it back into his sheath. "We must prepare. Go outside and brood if you must." 

            Inu-Yasha swore under his breath and stalked out of the room. Like hell he was going to wait around. He wasn't going to let Sesshoumaru waste time and leave Kagome out there in the hands of Naraku. If he had to go himself, then so be it. 

*          *          *

            "You mustn't be so hasty," Myouga said as Inu-Yasha strode down to the entrance of the castle. "Sesshoumaru said we will leave on his orders." 

            "Screw his orders!" Inu-Yasha snapped without stopping. "Sesshoumaru can take his orders and shove them up his—" 

            "As worried as you are, Inu-Yasha," Myouga cut in sternly, "You can't just jump into it. You have no idea about what's out there. If you don't plan, you'll get yourself killed and how are you supposed to help Kagome when you're dead?" 

            "I already am dead," Inu-Yasha reminded him bitterly. "Well, half-dead, at least." 

            Myouga rolled his eyes. "You know what I mean. You must be patient, Sesshoumaru knows more about Naraku than we do—" 

            "Why are you actually listening to him? The last time I checked, you tried to wipe out his clan and he killed Kikyo." Inu-Yasha continued onwards, nearly to the entrance door. "You told me to protect Kagome, remember?" 

            "I did…but not at the risk of your own life." 

            "I'm not so weak that I can't face Naraku. I could kill him if I wanted. Anyway, Sesshoumaru might know Naraku, but I know Kagome. If I don't get to her soon, she's going to get herself into some deeper shit than she's already in. You can follow Sesshoumaru if you like, but I still think he's an asshole and I'm leaving." 

            His master stopped and glared at Inu-Yasha's back. "You can be such a child sometimes!" he yelled after him. 

            "Uh-uh, I'm not listening," Inu-Yasha sang out, fingers plugged in his ears. 

            Myouga considered keeping Inu-Yasha within the castle by force, but he knew it would make no difference. He was as stubborn as weeds, and he would be sure to fight back. Myouga didn't want to waste time and energy fighting someone on his own side when there was Naraku to deal with. But he couldn't just let Inu-Yasha wander off alone…

            Still, he made no move as Inu-Yasha passed through the doors, disappearing in the eternal night. There was nothing else he could do. 

            A rustle of movement behind him made him whirl around. Kikyo, who had been silent up to this point, approached him. She held a bow and had a quiver full of arrows strapped onto her back. "I will go with him," she said. "I'm sure he doesn't know the way." 

            Myouga snorted. "He'd get lost five steps away from the gate. I just don't see why he has to rush things. Kagome is capable of taking care of herself until we arrive, and rushing in blindly accomplishes nothing" 

            Kikyo sighed softly, her expressions unreadable. "He cares for her deeply." 

            "Love shouldn't get in the way of rational thinking," Myouga argued, though his voice was softer. 

            "Yes…perhaps love shouldn't be in the way. If it weren't, perhaps Kagome would be leading a different life and I would not be leading _this_ life," Kikyo said, the last word tainted with irony, quiet bitterness in her tone. 

            Myouga looked at his old training partner intently. Just because Kikyo had a face of stone it didn't mean she couldn't have emotions. She could feel just as strongly as anyone else. Though she was usually a master at hiding it, right now the shield between herself and the world was thin.

            "I was the one who changed him," she said, her voice hard. "He was the wildest in the entire clan. I changed him, slowly. I know him almost as much as he knows himself…or I did. Then everything had to change…and she came along…why did I ever come back? Why can't I return?"  

            He had rarely seen this side of Kikyo before…a low passion that he didn't think she had. What could have changed her? Inu-Yasha, maybe? Or death? 

            "But no, I shouldn't be speaking of this. Inu-Yasha must be really lost by now." The briefest instance of a smile touched her lips. 

            "Kikyo…what will you do after this?" Myouga asked suddenly. "When this is all over?" 

            She touched the Shikon no Tama hanging around her neck. "I'll go back, of course" she replied. "Things will be as they have always been." Before he could reply, she nodded curtly at him and left the castle, the door sliding shut behind her. 

            If only her words could be true. Myouga knew, however, that this was impossible. Kikyo wasn't truly alive, sustained only by the Shikon no Tama's power. No…things could never return to the way they had been. 

*          *          *

            Not listening to people had always led to disaster, as Inu-Yasha had experienced often, but never learned. "Ah, shit!!" 

            His leg sank into the thick, muddy, swamp-like sludge right up to his knees. Bad place to take a step. Inu-Yasha swore again as he fought through the swamp. He could practically swim across this muck…not that he would. 

            "You should have been more aware of the ground," a familiar voice spoke somewhere in the forest around him. "And gone slowly, so you would know when to go a different direction." 

            Inu-Yasha looked up. "Kikyo?" He took a deep forward, since staying too long in one place would cause him to sink. "Is that you?" 

            A pale figure in white and red appeared from behind a tree. "Over here is firmer ground. You would have known if you had checked your steps." He knew her light scolding tone well. 

            "I can't waste time going slowly," he grumbled in defense, squelching and slopping over to her, the gunk lapping up against his thighs. "And I didn't know the ground was that soft." 

            She sighed. "You're thick as a brick sometimes," she said, but not angrily. "Do you even know the way to Naraku's castle?" 

            Silence. 

            "Or did you naturally assume after running around for some time you would find it?"

            Silence. 

            "I don't know how you managed without me." 

            "I managed just fine, okay? I'm not totally helpless!" Inu-Yasha snapped, finally finding his voice. It was Kikyo's turn to be silent, looking past him down at the swamp. Inu-Yasha knew he'd upset her, and he opened his mouth to apologize, but then shut it. He'd probably say something dumb instead, as he was not known for his tact with apologies. 

            He hauled himself out of the swamp. The ground Kikyo was standing on was much softer than the sludge he'd run into, but it still squished warningly underneath his feet. "Come on, let's get out of here," he said, tentatively touching Kikyo's shoulder. 

            Kikyo turned to face him. "There was a time when you would not hesitate to touch me," she said. 

            Inu-Yasha had known eventually he was going to have to face this…but now wasn't the best time to do so. She was waiting for an answer. He exhaled sharply. "I, like everyone else, thought you had died. I put it behind me, I recovered from it. I didn't want myself to be thinking of you." 

            "But now I'm here. Aren't you happy? Can you not love me now?" From any other girl this would have sounded desperate and overdramatic, like something from a romance novel. Kikyo stated it in a simple tone, a woman not seemingly distraught but a woman who just wanted an answer. 

            "I…It's hard to say. After fifty years of trying to forget you, I can't just go back to the way things used to be." And Inu-Yasha knew that things wouldn't go back to the way they used to be with Kikyo…he would never hold her or kiss her, it just wasn't the same.

            He didn't want to talk about it anymore. He wasn't ready to deal with this. Besides, somewhere out there Naraku was out there with Kagome, and here he was…stuck in some forest with crud all over him. "Let's go," he said again. 

            However, Kikyo stayed still. Inu-Yasha shifted his feet, his shoes coated in mud. "Kikyo, what are you waiting for? We gotta hurry." 

            "If you keep going down the side of the swamp, you'll find a river. Follow the river downstream and eventually you will see Naraku's castle." Kikyo's face was calm and showed nothing. 

            "What? Aren't you coming with me?" 

            "No." 

            It took awhile for poor dim-witted Inu-Yasha to realize that although Kikyo didn't show it, she was probably pretty pissed at him. "Look, Kikyo, when I said what I said, I didn't mean—" 

            "When the time for battle comes, I will be there," she cut him off. "Just follow the path and be careful of where you step. We will see each other there." Before he could protest, she turned and walked away from him. 

            Inu-Yasha groaned. Girls…he'd never understand them. 

*          *          *

            "This sucks," Kagome grumbled to herself. Her voice was still rough and barely above a harsh whisper, as it still hurt to speak above that. The bruises on her neck were an ugly purple. That bastard was going to pay for that. 

            She had gone around the castle and mapped out the area. She knew where Naraku's and the other's bedrooms were, as well as how to get around the castle. Naraku's castle wasn't as grand as Sesshoumaru's, but she roughly knew the size of his clan and it was definitely going to be a big battle. Naraku's castle was as boring as hell. She had challenged a couple of his clan to short spars, enough to get an idea of their size. Careful maneuvering in the conversation revealed more numbers and useful information.

            She couldn't find Kanna anywhere. So that left one other person… 

            "Let's spar," she said to Kagura in the morning. The other woman narrowed her eyes. Kagome blinked innocently back at her. "What? I just want to practice. There's nothing else to do around here." To emphasize her point, she let out a yawn—a small one, as a big one hurt too much. 

            "Hmph. Go entertain yourself," Kagura snorted, going back to…making fans. Why she was making fans was a boggler to Kagome. "Besides, you sound like you've scraped the sides of your throat with a rock." 

            Kagome rolled her eyes. "And what does that have to do with anything?" She made soft clucking noises. "You're just too chicken to go against me. Admit it. You've heard a lot about me, and you're only so cocky because you can hide behind Naraku." She added a small, angelic smile that would hopefully infuriate Kagura more. 

            Kagura rose, dropping her unfinished fan on the table in front of her. When it made a clinking sound as it landed, Kagome looked down and saw the tips were of metal. "I can hardly believe that a shrimpy kid like you could be a great vampire hunter. You seem to me like you're all talk and no action." 

            "Which is why I'm challenging you," Kagome replied, over-exaggeratingly patient. "You seem to me like you're just Naraku's concubine." 

            "What?" Kagura snapped. "You have the nerve—" 

            Kagome's innocent smile grew wider. "So where is the training room?"  

            Naraku's training room was very large, with a high ceiling. Off to the side several weapons lay against the wall. They looked twice as heavy as Kagome and about a hundred times more deadly. She gulped, imagining who would wield such a thing. 

            Kagura moved to the opposite end of the room, then faced Kagome. She knew what this was about as much as Kagome did. Both women were going to look for each other's weaknesses, doing their absolute best to hide every imperfection while at the same time being very aware of their opponent's moves. 

            Which was why Kagome had invented some weaknesses that she hoped Kagura would easily spot, thus hiding her true weaknesses.

            "Right then," Kagome said, taking hold of the sheath on her waist. "Let's get started."

            Kagura eyed the sword with narrow eyes. "Where did you get that?" 

            "I brought it with me," Kagome replied matter-of-factly. "What, did you think I was going to come here unarmed?" Kagura opened her mouth, then shut it. It was stupid to argue with that. Kagome sighed and drummed her fingers on the sword's handle. "Yes, I know it all looks very magical, but can we start now?" 

            The other woman smirked. She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a fan, similar to the fan she'd crafted before Kagome interrupted. She flourished it in the air dramatically. Kagome's eyebrow shot up. "What are you going to do, dance at me?" 

            "No," Kagura replied with a small laugh. "I'm going to blow you away." 

            Kagome's eyes traveled down to the little fan again. Then she burst out laughing. "That was a good one!" she snickered. "Man, Naraku didn't tell me his whore had a sense of humor. Say, you hear the joke about the vampire who wanted to be a blood sucking creature in his next life? He turned into a maxipad! Wahahaha!" 

            The whore comment had done it, if the rest of it hadn't. Kagura lifted her arm high above her hand, and her hair and clothes began to rustle. Kagome stopped laughing.           

            Winds were gathering at Kagura's feet. "Not too funny now, is it?" she smirked. "No wait…it gets better." She brought the fan down, slashing the air sharply. The wind burst from her towards Kagome, who was about as prepared for it as an Eskimo in Hawaii. She flew backwards, stopping only when she crashed into the wall. 

            Kagura made a flicking motion with her wrist, and the winds died down. "Now _this _is funny."

            Kagome quickly tried to think of something better to say than a whimpered, "Ow." Nothing came to mind immediately. It was only after she'd peeled herself off the wall and rubbed her back that she muttered, "What part of _practice _don't you understand?" 

            Kagura rested her fan against her fingers. "You will never get it into your thick skull that we have powers you wouldn't even dream of. You still have no idea how powerful Naraku is. You think he's as easy to kill as, oh, say, Sesshoumaru," she said dismissively. "And that's only a taste. I have winds that could slice you apart as if they were swords. But enough talking. You said you wanted practice." 

            Kagme rushed towards Kagura, who immediately launched more winds at Kagome. The vampire hunter shot to the side, dodging them, and moved up close to Kagura, forcing close contact. Kagura quickly slipped her fan back in her sleeve and withdrew a long dagger. 

            For a long time they sparred, each observing each other carefully while blocking each other's moves. Kagome noted that if she attacked in certain places, Kagura was a split second slower than usual, and because of her tight outfit she was slow in moving out of the way when Kagome swiped at her legs. Kagome knew her own weaknesses, but she tried to hide them by using the fake ones she'd decided on. She purposefully made her response to any attack on her left slow, and made it a point to always glance backwards whenever she was on the defensive, as if she was unsure of her footing. It seemed like Kagura was falling for it; her eyes gleamed with the thought of victory, and she made many attacks to Kagome's left. 

            She was a skilled fighter, but it seemed she was a lot better when there was distance between her and her opponents so she could supposedly slice them up with wind. Not too hard to defeat if one got past the wind. When Kagome thought she'd seen enough, she left her sword arm open, and when Kagura lashed at it she allowed the sword to drop from her hand, which now had a thin sliver of red on it. 

            "Hmph, it's kind of disappointing," Kagura said, trying not to sound breathless. Kagome lifted her hand to her mouth. "I really think there's too much hype surrounding you." 

            Kagome snorted. "It's not going to happen again," she said in a muffled voice, her lips on the wound. 

            "If it happens again. I don't feel like sparring with someone so below my level. Come back when you're more of a challenge," Kagura scoffed. She left Kagome in the training room, her head high in the air.

            Kagome considered throttling her now while she could, but she restrained herself. She waited until Kagura was out of sight, then left the training room.

            She was about to turn the corner in a hallway when voices stopped her. Kagome pressed herself against the wall and listened. 

            "Naraku-sama, it's true. The spies have seen Inu-Yasha in the forest close to the castle. He may be coming for Kagome." 

            Kagome's jaw dropped. Inu-Yasha was coming? Why? He was supposed to be in the Inu-kai castle with Kikyo…no one was supposed to come until Kagome arrived…had they sent Inu-Yasha? Or had he come on his own?

            "Hm, is that so. Well, tell the spies not to do anything. Let him come. If Kagome happens to see him and say his name, well…I must live up to my word."

            Her stomach turned horribly. Whatever the reason, she couldn't let Inu-Yasha get past the castle walls. There had to be a way to warn him…

            An idea popped into her head. She turned and ran down the corridor, taking the long way back to her own bedroom. She checked the drawers of a desk and found a brush and ink stone, but no paper. Her scowl grew deeper as a search around the room proved fruitless. "What use is a brush and no paper?" she mumbled to herself as she opened the closet. She pulled out a white dress and spread the skirt flat on the desk. She ground up the ink stone and mixed it with water, dipped the brush into it, and quickly began to write. 

            _Inu-Yasha__—go back! Meet w/ Sessho, read entire thing!! V. important_

_            Saw 2 main cronies, Kagura and Kanna, Numbers are several hundred, some special powers, certain weaknesses—_

*          *          *

            Inu-Yasha had found the river alright. What Kikyo forgot to mention was that it was full of evil creatures that he'd mostly find in a Hollywood horror movie. Upon reaching it, he'd knelt down behind it and scooped some water up to drink. No sooner had he dropped to his knees when three large tentacles shot out of the water and pulled him in. 

            Eight severed tentacles later, he emerged from the water, which was dark pink with mutated octopus blood. He was grossed out beyond belief. 

            Several other things emerged from the water and tried to pull him back in, but Inu-Yasha tried following the river with as much distance as possible. It was difficult. He had to keep one eye on the water, one eye on the ground to make sure he didn't trip over the several hundred gnarled roots, leaving nothing to watch for the tree trunks in front of him. He had a feeling Kikyo had given him the difficult way on purpose, while she breezed through open fields of smooth, un-tentacle infested land. Hell hath no fury…

            Inu-Yasha shook his wet bangs out of his eyes. He could understand why she was angry, he hadn't exactly thrown himself down and declared his undying love for her. But how could she expect him to just drop everything and pick up where they left of? Not with Naraku and Sesshoumaru still alive, not with Kagome…

            Of course Kagome played a huge part in all this. No doubt Kikyou would blame Kagome, and why wouldn't she? Kagome had all but taken her place as one of the best vampire hunters, looked almost exactly like her, and had grown close to Inu-Yasha. If Myouga and Kaede had never found Kagome, perhaps things could have returned to the way they were. 

            Was that really true? If Kagome didn't exist, and Inu-Yasha had returned fifty years later to find his old lover still alive, could he return to Kikyo? He thought hard about it. He'd gotten over Kikyo long before he'd met Kagome, the unpleasant memories arising only when he'd met Kagome for the first time, because they looked alike. Even if he'd never met Kagome, the situation would be the same.

            He didn't love Kikyo anymore. He felt an obligation to take care of her, and to keep her safe as he was unable to do before. But he didn't love her anymore. 

            Inu-Yasha stopped, which nearly allowed a claw that burst with unusual strength out of the water, snapping at his legs. He stuck the Tetsusaiga into it and that was the end of that. Calmly he resumed walking. 

            Then how did he feel towards Kagome? Was it the same feeling towards both of them? He felt like he had to protect Kagome as well, as he was always doing. But there was a difference, he knew there was a difference in how he felt for the two of them. He just didn't know what it was. Not yet, anyway. 

            Inu-Yasha looked up and squinted. Past the thick bramble of trees and night he could see lights twinkling faintly. And the faintest outline of a castle. 

            Immediately he sped up his pace, keeping both eyes fixed on the lights. Naturally he didn't see the tree in front of him. A painful collision followed, complete with loud cracking noises, which ended with him sprawled on the dirt.

            Hm. Which lights were the real lights and which ones were blinking stars?

            Suddenly Inu-Yasha bolted up, his world spinning. "Aha!" he shouted, words slightly slurred. "Euro, or whatever that Greek guy in the bathtub said!" 

            Now he knew the difference between Kikyo and Kagome. That crash must have dislodged a block in his brain, letting a river of knowledge rush through. 

            Kikyo had changed him, she had opened his eyes to things and changed his destructive attitude. He was forever grateful for that. But when he was with Kikyo, he felt like he had to be careful around her, and watch his words carefully. Sure, he could be himself with Kikyo, but only a bit of himself, the part that she had managed to change. 

            But with Kagome…he could be all of himself. He couldn't joke around with Kikyo—she always left his spluttering. With Kagome, his words flew freely, whether they were insults or apologies or words of comfort; he didn't have to check himself. Seeing Kagome's face shine with happiness, or tears, or tears of happiness, or even anger…he cared about that. 

            He cared very much about Kagome. 

Did he love her? Hmm…maybe. Maybe he'd have to crash into another tree. Maybe it was a one tree, one epiphany rule. 

            Inu-Yasha realized he might be going slightly insane—but that might be due to the crash. A big grin on his face, he continued running towards the castle, knowing if he couldn't figure girls out, he could figure himself out. That was more than what most guys his age could say. 

*          *          *

            Kagome looked out the window, the clutching an arrow with a pile of material attached to it. She had two such arrows. The entire dress was filled with writing and diagrams, enough for Sesshoumaru to get the upper hand in battle. She tapped her foot quickly and nervously as Inu-Yasha drew slowly closer. 

            She'd chosen the window closest to the wall, and closest to where Inu-Yasha was running towards. As long as her aim was true, she wouldn't have to say his name. Finally when he was close enough, she shot the first arrow in his direction. 

            It landed just in front of his feet. Inu-Yasha skidded to a stop. He looked up in her direction suspiciously, then his eyes widened when he saw her leaning out the window. "Kagome!" he shouted. 

            She shot the second arrow in his direction…it missed him by finger lengths. His eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Are you trying to kill me or something?" 

            She shook her head. "No…just pick them up and go!" she yelled. "You have to take those to Sesshoumaru and read them. But for now you have to go!" 

            "What?" Inu-Yasha frowned up at her. "No way…I'm not leaving until you get your ass down here!"

            "Oh, like I have a choice!" she retorted. She squinted. The shadows behind Inu-Yasha were moving. A second later a vampire emerged from the shadows, ready to pounce on Inu-Yasha. She couldn't help herself. "Inu-Yasha, watch out!!" she screamed. 

            Inu-Yasha whirled around and managed to evade the vampire. He pulled out Tetsusaiga and the vampire exploded into ashes. 

            "Just go!" Kagome said. "If you don't get that stuff to Sesshoumaru or Myouga I will murder you when I see you next! Go!" 

            Inu-Yasha hesitated for another second. "Go!" Kagome screamed again. Finally he turned and picked up the two arrows, then ran back towards the forest. 

            Kagome sighed and slumped over the windowsill. She'd said his name…screamed it even…but maybe there was a chance he didn't hear…

            "How quickly you forget."

            Instantly Kagome whirled around and drew an arrow. "One more step and this goes straight through your heart," she said warningly. 

            Naraku moved forward. Without hesitation Kagome released the arrow. He caught it just before it pierced his skin and tossed it aside. "I warned you," he said, in that voice Kagome had only heard a few days ago. "And you disobeyed." 

            She glared at him. "You are _not _going to order me aro—" She finished with a yelp as Naraku shot towards her and pinned her against the wall, keeping her hands caught against the wall. 

            "I think," he said, his fangs seemingly growing longer, "That I've given you too many chances to have a say. You've wasted all of them." He grinned. "I think you'll like being a vampire, Kagome. I've seen you fight—you can get so bloodthirsty." He laughed softly.  

            Kagome made one last attempt to get away. Naraku only held her down tighter. "If you're still, it won't hurt as much," he advised. Then, just before he sank his teeth down into her throat, he whispered, "Then…you'll be thanking me." 

            The next thing that happened was excruciating pain, and the weakening sensation of life flowing away. 

            AN: God don't you just love it when bad guys have really horrible dialogue? ^^


End file.
